Well of Truth
by KaliAnn
Summary: Sequel to Blessed Campers. Isra Daimona and her mom abruptly moved from Seattle to Indianapolis for reasons unknown to her. She knew making a new life for herself would be hard. She just didn't expect to meet a mortal god, live in a magical building, or discover a crazy Roman emperor trying to take over her new home. The well of truth has a lot of surprises.
1. Truth

Welcome readers old and new. This story is the sequel to my story "Blessed Campers." This story takes place in The Dark Prophecy. I hope you enjoyed it.

* * *

Long ago in ancient Greece, the Olympian Gods lived on Mount Olympus along with a dozens of other gods, titans, and creatures. They were worshiped by mortals, whose belief and prayers helped the gods maintain their immortality. The early Greeks unknowingly created a celebrity status ranking based on who was prayed to the most.

The Olympians were considered A-list because they were the most important ones, having defeated Kronos and accomplishing great tasks. While Hades and Hestia were not technically part of the Olympians, they were considered part of the group by the rest of the community. Mortals also held them in great respect.

The well-known minor gods and goddess were considered to be B-list. While they didn't have the same pedigree as the Olympians, they still played a big part in the everyday happenings on the world. Many held anger towards the Olympians for stealing all the spotlight, but were willing to work with them to get attention.

Then there were the C-list group. This list consisted of different groups of gods or minor children of the A and B list. The groups carried out important duties, such as being in charge of the seasons or teaching proper behavior to humans. Individually, they didn't always stand out, but as a group they couldn't be ignored.

The final group was the D-list, made up of half-forgotten gods and goddess. Even some Titans were in this group. A majority of them were personification, who represented some idea or concept. The gods and goddess in this group were often ignored or treated poorly by others. Even with their treatment, many D-list people stuck around, because they're duties kept them alive.

As the centuries passed and the Power of the West moved further and further away from Greece, some members of the different groups vanished from existence. Some due to no one remembering them, or, they couldn't hold onto their powers. It was a sad fate for people who thought they were immortal.

For any god or goddess, whose existence was teetering, several of them had created demigod children to survive. It was selfish on their part; as demigods attracted monsters and endangered the lives, of their mortal parent. Meanwhile, the godly parent continued to survive and very rarely did they ever interact with the children. They were a means to an end.

This disgusted some, who left Mount Olympus, to find homes in other places of the world. They would promote themselves in different manners to stay alive. Their fate was unknown by the higher list groups. Members in their list groups would keep in touch and once and while come back to Mount Olympus, to renew their immortality.

During two recent crises, the return of the Titan Kronos and Gaia's awakening, the gods and goddess who had chosen to live outside Olympus, kept their heads down. No one would care if they helped or not. Even their enemies seemed unaware they continued to live.

Recently, a new crises had arisen. It seemed that a trio of Roman emperors had managed to continue to live despite dying several centuries ago. They had been busy lately, attacking more in the open. This was due to a situation which had the D-list members prodding into godly businesses once more. The A-list and overbearing Apollo was now a mortal!

With Apollo being mortal, both friends and enemies, were taking payback for his actions. Some even watched what was going on because it was pure entertainment. There were even bets going to if Apollo would survive long enough to gain his godhood back. Others wanted to seen him die and suffer in the Underworld.

* * *

Seattle Washington, was the last place anyone would suspect something godly would happen in. The largest city in the state, in fact of the whole Pacific Northwest region, while impressive, didn't really offer much for ancient deities. Seattle depended on its fame to bringing business and tourists to the port town. Another claim to fame was it was the most northern city in the continental US.

Everyday people went to their jobs or for kids' to school. Problems you find in any city; traffic jams, stores, or enormous piles of litter, existed in the city with people working hard to solve them. The police were extra vigilant to prevent crime.

Seattle had been built on an isthmus that had been home to several Native Americans tribes, mostly the Duwamish and Suquamish tribes, respectively. The area consisted of many hills. There was the Puget Sound with thriving port. Unfortunately, the Seattle Fault line passed through the city, meaning a major earthquake could cause a disaster.

There was a huge LGBTQA community and Seattle had the largest amount of same sex couples living happily without too much harassment. The city had also started addressing the large homeless situation by creating permanent housing and resource centers to help people obtain jobs.

Seattle prided itself for being the "gateway to Alaska" or the Emerald city for its huge pine forests. Unique cultural aspects, such as performing arts or grunge bands, rose to fame for starting out in the city.

Seattle had lots to offer to both its citizens and tourists. Festivals such as Gay Pride and Seattle International Film Festival were held each year. Native Americans held their pow wows here. You could also visit numerous museums, historical monuments, and one of a kind attractions.

Overall the city was a wonderful place to grow up in. Education was highly valued and there were a number of different public, private, or home school options. The University of Washington could be found in the city as well.

Seattle had a lot of ways to get around. Public buses, trains, and wide open streets for carpooling. Seattle was trying to figure a way to improve mass transports so there weren't so many traffic jams on the road.

In the southeast part of the city, was the neighborhood known as Beacon Hill, named after the one found in Boston. The population was primarily Asian and African American, with other ethnic groups making up the rest. It was a good neighborhood with plenty of business, recreation areas, and good schools.

Grover Cleveland High School was a city landmark. Built in 1927, the school had avoid being closed 1979 by both students and faculty. The school had been updated over the years, the last major renovation in 2017 after complications with asbestos and a geological hazard had been addressed.

The three-story school building has a brick facade with a terra cotta trim. The center of the building features a two-story bay with a balcony and Corinthian columns. To help increase graduating numbers and to have a better student enrollment, the school had both a STEM and HEAL programs. Slowly, but surely the school's numbers were rising.

* * *

At the moment, students were in their last class for the day. Unlike other schools, periods at Grover Cleveland were eighty five minutes long. In the World Language classroom, a freshman was paying a lot of attention to the teacher.

It was a girl named Isra Daimona. The fourteen year old was petite barely five foot. She had an olive complexion, with a heart shaped face, with long lashes, skinny jawline, along with arched eyebrows. Her hair was short and black, eyes were round and hazel, with slightly hooked nose.

The teacher was discussing different language families to the class. "Remember students, the best way to understand the root of a language is to know what family it comes from. For example, Farsi, the modern version of Persian, is an Indo-European based family. English is also an Indo-European language, but was developed based on the Western Germanic language linguistics."

Glancing at the clock, the teacher added, "I want a two and half page essay about two language families due next Friday. Have a nice weekend class." The bell rang dismissing the students for the day.

Isra hurried to her locker, to grab the textbooks she would need for the weekend. She was putting her books in her backpack, when her friend best friend and next door neighbor, Neha Anand, caught up with her. "I can guess what one of your language families will be about. Your eyes lit up when Mrs. Calloway mentioned Farsi."

"Can we please talk about this on the bus? I don't want to miss our ride home," the short girl replied, with only a faint trace of an accent.

Neha nodded and the two girls hurried outside and into the bus, just before it left the campus. As Isra settled into her seat, she studied her best friend. Neha's heritage was Punjabi, a northern state in India, which included the capital New Delhi.

Her skin tone was lighter than people from southern India. Her long black hair was thick and braided down her back. She had big brown eyes and a small nose. She was much taller than Isra and wore a traditional shalwar outfit. Her personality was effervescent, artistic, and smart. She was part of the SOED program.

She was studying to become a computer game designer. Her dream was to use digital art to inspire and help others learn. It was an unusual choice for a girl, but that's what she wanted.

Isra, on the other hand, was part of the SOLS program. She was studying life sciences, such as biology and biochemistry. The curriculum also focused on global health issues. Isra dreamed of improving health care for people who ended up homeless for one reason or another.

Back to the conversation, Neha was talking again. "I know how much you want to learn to speak Farsi. It was the language of your birth parents after all. Maybe you could also write about Punjabi's language family and I could do your Farsi." She clapped her hands and smiled brightly. "We can work together, so it isn't hard to finish. We can get together Sunday if you like. I have to help out at the store tomorrow."

"I don't know. My mom and I have plans for this weekend. We're going to go hiking on the Cherry Creek Falls trail. It's a nice place to hike with well-maintained trails and a nice view of the falls," Isra replied happily. Her eyes were twinkling in delight.

Neha laughed and shook her head slightly. "I should have known. You love hiking as much as I love programming computers. I couldn't last even ten minutes on a trail."

Isra raised an eyebrow and pointed to her friend's outfit. "If you're wearing that you couldn't, but if you switched into sensible clothing, you could handle it."

"Nah, I like indoor activities. You're the one who loves being outdoors adventuring. I think it's great how much mother daughter bonding you do. I wish I could find something in common to do with my mom."

The bus finally arrived on the girls block. The Beacon Hill neighborhood had its own unique architectural style homes. Neha lived in a Craftsman style bungalow and Isra lived in the Seattle Box house style next door. The girls power walked to their houses, wave goodbye to each other, and went inside their homes.

Isra headed into the kitchen to make a snack for herself. Her mother wouldn't be home from work, at the El Centro de la Raza for another hour. Isra's mom was part of the advocacy department fighting for civil rights and helping the communities near and far during crises.

Her mom valued the truth and would fight until it was revealed. While this made her extremely popular and beloved by the community, other people didn't appreciate her revealing secrets to the city. Once in a while, they would receive threatening mail or attacks. However, her mom never worried about them and after a day or two, the threats would end.

Isra headed into the living room with her snack, peanut butter apple slices, and turned on the TV. Her mother allowed her to watch half an hour of TV before she started her homework. She couldn't watch anymore until she had completed her homework and had dinner.

Isra munched on her snack, watching a rerun of "Untold Stories of the ER", when the program was interrupted by a news announcement. That made her raise her eyebrows high, because the channel never had news on it.

"Good afternoon people of Seattle. We have breaking news. A strange and powerful massive storm is moving from _east_ to _west._ Never before has this kind of storm system happened in Washington. Further complicating matters, is the meteorologists believe the storm started in New York City and is moving at alarming rate, without losing any momentum and power.

Seattle is expected to encounter the front of the massive storm tomorrow or Sunday. People are urged to cancel outdoor plans and stay at home. Make sure you are well prepared and have enough food to last for a few days, should this storm get worse. We now return you to your usual program."

Isra turned off the TV and sighed. "No hiking this weekend this weekend. Mom will never go for it if there's a storm warning. Better check to see if our disaster kit is fully stocked."

She opened the closet in the entrance hallway and started going through the supplies. Two flashlights with extra batteries, blankets, and emergency radio were in working order. Extra clothes and a first aid kit were also ready to use.

* * *

She was double checking to see if her Mom remembered to roll up the sleeping bags up, when the door opened. "Isra, what are you doing with all our disaster supplies out?"

"Didn't you hear about the storm warning on the radio? We've got a storm coming from _east._ According to the news, this hasn't happened before." Isra put the items back in the closet and followed her mom into the kitchen.

Thea Daimona was a beautiful woman in her late thirties. Her shoulder blond hair was the color of corn silk. Her eyes were a soft brown and full of life. She had a small nose, strong cheekbones and her complexion showed her Greek ancestry.

Unlike her daughter, Thea was slightly above average height and her figure was perfectly curved in all the right places. Even when she was wearing her work clothes, a casual business outfit, people would stop and stare, whispering comments on how pretty she was. Many people had asked her on a date only for her to politely decline them.

Thea had adopted Isra when she was only a day old after her birth parents gave her up. Being a single woman raising a kid had been difficult. Thea liked the challenge and she had made sure Isra had a good quality life. They were extremely close to one another. Mother and daughter spent a lot of time together bonding.

Thea blinked her eyes with a slight frown on her face. She looked outside and saw the sky was starting to fill with dark clouds. "Hmm, did the news tell what kind of storm was heading this way?"

"Not really, but I suspect its some kind of massive wind and rain storm."

Thea muttered something softly before turning back to her daughter. "I think its best we cancel our hike on Sunday. Hopefully the weather won't prevent me from getting to work tomorrow. If this storm is as bad as they say, the Center will need me to help out."

Isra blinked her eyes in confusion. She knew her mother was dedicated to her job, but she wasn't sure that it would be wise to go out in unusual storm tomorrow or Sunday. She knew the Center closed during severe weather, but it was also the first place to open its doors when the community needed a safe haven to stay.

Thea patted her daughter on the head. "I know what you're thinking Isra, but I promise you I'll be fine. The truth is, I'm needed more than ever right now at the Center. We've been having some legal trouble lately with a company wanting to take over the Center and neighborhood. I'm the only one who has managed to keep them away."

"What's the company called?" she asked curiously.

"Triumvirate Holdings. What I've researched about the company makes me very uneasy. If the Center has any hope of remaining open, then I need to be there," Thea stated in very stern voice. Her body language indicated she was very determined to keep this shady company away.

After dinner, Isra went upstairs to her bedroom. The design of the house meant there were only eight rooms total in the house. The downstairs contained the; the entry hall, living room, kitchen, and the dining room. Upstairs, there was the bathroom and three bedrooms. One of the bedrooms had been converted into an office.

Isra's room was the one with the huge bay windows with a small balcony. She loved being able to sit on the window seat and enjoy the view of the mountains. Pulling out her homework, the young freshman started outlining her language family report. As she wrote, she practiced saying some words in Farsi.

* * *

The next morning, the massive storm hadn't arrived yet. The sky was still dark as more clouds arrived. The wind was picking up slightly. The scent of rain filled the neighborhood. The storm would mostly likely reach the city by the afternoon. People were hurrying to gather more supplies before it started.

At El Centro de la Raza, Thea arrived earlier than usual. She headed into her office to review her notes on Triumvirate Holdings. There wasn't a lot of information on them, at least to the public. However, she had her ways of getting to the truth.

The company had a web page, but it had little information on it. All it had on it was the company name, a brief summary of its mission, and what they looked for in employees.

Thea glared at the page, knowing it had secrets and wasn't being honest with her. Opening another tab, she started to search for more information. It wasn't easy, but she managed to track down a few anonymous postings, which talked about the company's dirty tactics in obtaining property and money.

Clearly this company is trying to take over the United States. They had holdings in every state and even more property in the other continents. What was remarkable is she was unable to discover when this company had started and who was in charge.

Glancing around to make sure no one was watching her, the woman pressed her hand on the computer screen, switching back to the home page. "Reveal the truth to me. Who are the three people running Triumvirate Holdings?"

A humming noise could be heard coming from the computer screen. The webpage was blinking rapidly, as the pixels started to realign in a different order. A red fire wall appeared on the screen trying to block the intrusion, only to vanish a few seconds later.

Thea removed her hand from the screen. There were three pictures on the screen with small amount of information under them. She clicked the first picture to blow it up. It wasn't a great photo, seeing as it was blurry, but she could tell it was a man in a purple suit. Even blurry, his looks were undesirable.

The information identified him as Nero Germanicus. A cold, brutal, and violent individual. He was a master manipulator and loved expensive homes and burning things down. He had an alias, the Beast, which was disconcerting to read.

The second photo was clearer. The man's face was fully visible, though his choice in clothing left much to be desired. It looked like he was endeavoring to look like Hercules, only he looked appalling wearing a lion skin.

The information didn't give his real name for some reason. Instead he was listed as the New Hercules. The information went further on describing him as ruthless and paranoid person, who loved insane fights and creating cities, named after him. It also said he would kill on a whim.

Thea was about to click on the third picture, when she heard footsteps coming closer. She swiped her hand over the screen returning it to normal. Fixing her hair, she looked up and smiled at her boss. "Good morning Fernando, how are you doing today?"

"I'm well Thea, thank you for asking. I'm glad you came in early. I wanted to ask how you're doing with, creating a legal argument, to keep Triumvirate from getting a hold of this place."

"It's coming along. I'm having a bit of difficulty finding information about the company, but I'm positive I can stop them. I'll try to not let you down."

Fernando grinned and assured her, he could never be disappointed with his hardest employee. "You always get to the truth of the matter. I'm sure you'll find something we can use. Good luck Thea."

The man turned around a headed for his office. Thea started writing down what she had discovered. If what she suspected was true, then her happy and simple life, was in jeopardy.

Thea continued her efforts to learn more about the company and the origins of the CEOs. Even her best legal defense couldn't protect the Center, if the CEOs turned out to be the people she feared.

She was typing another search in when she heard someone calling her name. She looked up from her desk and saw a friend of hers, Elfeda Sanchez, standing in the doorway. "I should have guessed you would forget our lunch date. You the only person I know who could be so focused, you can't hear the world around you."

"I'm really sorry Elfeda. I've been distracted today."

Elfeda nodded and told her to look outside. The wind was getting stronger and they could hear thunder. The sky looked ready to burst open and flood the city. "I came to tell you, that the Center is closing right now. With the storm about to hit, everyone feels they should get home and be with their families. Should I accompany you home?"

Thea stood up and told her absolutely not. "It's only a few minutes to my home. You're the one with a twenty minute drive ahead of you. Go! I'll be okay." She shooed her friend away and took everything she needed to work on home.

While she was driving she whispered a prayer under her breath. "Mighty Aeolus calm your sons, the Anemoi. Zeus almighty, please keep your temper under control for a few more minutes."

She parked the car and the second she passed through the threshold, the storm let loose. Pouring rain came down in sheets. The thunder was unbelievably loud and the lightning flashed several times in sequence. The winds were getting even stronger than before as the temperature started to drop. With this happening, there was a good chance for ice and hail to form later.

"Isra, where are you?" Thea called out anxiously.

"I'm in the dining room!" Isra had laid out the entire disaster supplies. She had taken the initiative to board up the windows in the house while her mom was at work. It had taken a lot of effort to push the table into the kitchen and clear the room of any probable dangers.

Each corner of the room had supplies neatly stacked up and there was a tent sent up in the middle of the room, with their sleeping bags in it. "I restocked the emergency rations and made sure we had enough water to last a few days. I've checked to make sure everything is in working order. Do you think we're ready?"

Thea chuckled lightly. "We have everything we need and more my little rainbow." It was a pet name because Isra meant rainbow in Persian. Let's finish prepping the house."

Together, they went from room to room, covering the furniture and boarding the windows. Putting breakable or dangerous objects into the closet. Unplugging the electronics while putting them into waterproof bags should there be any flooding.

"This wasn't the kind of mother daughter bonding I had in mind for the weekend. At least, we are still spending time together right Isra?" Thea asked as she placed her laptop into a bag. They were in her office finishing up the prepping.

She looked behind her and saw Isra in the small closet, her fingers brushing against some photo albums. Thea went white as a sheet and screamed. "ISRA STOP!"

Startled, Isra pulled her hand back and looked frighteningly at her mother. "Mom, what's wrong? Why are you so upset…."

"I told you never to go into my office closet!" Thea snapped at her daughter. She stalked over to the closet, her corn silk hair bouncing angrily. Her brown eyes appeared to turn black for a few seconds.

She raised her left hand to slap her daughter, who was cowering in fear, not understanding her mom's fury. Seeing this, Thea calmed down. She backed away and looked at her hand in shame.

"I'm sorry Isra. I shouldn't have gotten upset. I don't know why I was furious," Thea whispered. She looked down at her feet as she rubbed them together. "It's just, there are very personal items in the closet, and the photo albums are one of them."

Isra blinked a few times. "I don't understand Mom." The teenager hazel eyes scanned the huge pile of photo albums. They didn't appear to be damaged. "Why are these photo albums private?"

"They contain painful memories of the past. One's I'm not ready to share with you just yet. One day, I'll be ready to show you, but today isn't that day." Thea looked up and wiped some tears from her face. "Why don't you go back downstairs? I'll join you once I'm finished here."

Isra left the office, clutching her arms together as she descended to the first floor. "Mom's shared everything with me before, so why is she upset over a few albums?

Come to think of it, why is the closet off limits? I can't recall the reason she said I wasn't allowed inside it. I only glanced at the albums. What else could be in the closet she doesn't want me to see?"

Isra crawled into the tent and tried to recall a time her mother had ever kept a secret from her before. Laying down on her sleeping bag, she looked up to the top of the tent, wondering when her mom would appear.

"Mom's always told me how important the truth is and that lies create more pain and confusion then truth, even when the truth hurts. She told me to never hide anything from her." Rolling to her side and stroked the top of the sleeping bag. "Why is she hiding a secret from me then?"

Upstairs in the office closest, Thea sat on the floor with an album in her lap. To her left was miniature well figurine. On her right was a box, with some old clothing and a beautifully polished hand mirror with a goddess grip. On the back of the mirror spelled out in Ancient Greek, "Truth frees the soul".

Thea felt a tear drop slide down her face as she looked at one photograph. It was faded, but it showed handsome old man with salt and pepper hair holding hands with an old woman, whose white hair had traces of corn silk blond locks.

Tilting the album, Thea traced another photo. This one showed a pretty sixteen year old girl at a party with friends. She had an attractive smile and big brown eyes held joy in them.

Another picture, this one of a newborn baby with a small nose, being held by a couple, who looked like the child was the greatest treasure in the world.

Closing the album, she put them and the figurine in the box, which magically expanded, to accommodate the items. She then moved a storage bin from the back and popped open section of floorboard. There was a small safe, which she put the box in and closed it up tight.

"One days Isra, you'll understand. Truth is important, but finding the right time to tell it, can be difficult."

* * *

The massive storm shut down the city for a few days. By Tuesday, the storm had sputtered out and the streets of Seattle were being cleared of any debris. People were tending to their flooded yards and inspecting damage on their homes. Power companies were fixing the lines.

At school, Isra was talking to Neha about the incident with her mom, as she gathered her books for first period. "It was really weird Neha. It wasn't just that she was angry about me nearly touching the albums. She almost looked petrified."

"That is strange indeed. I wonder what could be so private, she's almost willing to slap you for being near them. Any ideas?" Neha asked as she rocked back and forth on her feet.

Glancing at the hallway clock, Isra shut her locker and shrugged her shoulders. "The only thing I know is she said they connect to her past. She doesn't really like to talk about her past or her family. She'll share stories and talk about them in general, at times. However, she's never revealed their names to me or where they live."

Neha mouth formed an o shape. "Whoa, that's strange times ten. Maybe you should investigate this? Find out the truth for yourself," she suggested.

"Maybe. I got to get to class. See you later!" Isra hurried to her STEM wing while Neha hurried to hers.

Thea was at work, finishing up the details on her legal argument, to prevent the Center from being bought out. It was a good argument, but it wouldn't help if Triumvirate Holdings decided to use dirty tactics to get what they wanted.

"Hmm, I'll need to figure out who would be approached to take a bribe or who would be hired to intimate us. If I can get to them first, I might have a chance of keeping the company at bay for a little longer."

The phone of her desk rang and she picked it up. "Hello, Thea Daimona speaking. How can I help you?"

"You can help by talking to me dear sister. It's been awhile," a female voice replied. It was silky with a hint of mischief. Thea paled greatly upon hearing the voice.

"I'm not your sister!" she hissed loudly into the phone. Her colleagues starred at her. They had never heard Thea sound so forceful and angry before.

Not wanting to seen or heard by her coworkers, she whispered her cell number to the person on the other end of the line and told them to call her back in five minutes. Putting the phone down with a little more force than necessary, she announced that she taking a break and hurried out the door.

Five minutes later, she was in her car, doors locked and windows all the way up. Her phone rang and she answered it immediately. "Why are you calling me? I thought I told you that I was done with you. I thought we both agreed to leave each other alone."

"Sister, I don't think I've ever heard you sound so angry. Are you trying to sound civil when you're truly angry? I guess you enjoy lying more than telling the truth."

"Cut it out Pseudologoi. I was honest with you before. I never wanted to talk to you again. I would also like to remind you we don't share the same parents."

You could almost hear Pseudologoi rolling her eyes on the other end of the conversation. "Fine, let's not bring up past history. I was calling to let you know something interesting has happened. Since you can always tell if someone is lying, you'll know what I'm about to say is true."

"Which is what?"

"Apollo has been made mortal. He's on a quest to regain his godhood. I was wondering if you wanted to join the betting pool. Zelos is collecting the bets on how long Apollo will survive on the quest. I bet six drachma he'll die while traveling to find his next Oracle. What about you?" She inquired with glee.

"I'm not interested in betting. Please don't call me again."

Pseudologoi let out a very loud exhalation. "Alright, I won't bother you again. Trust me though, you'll be contacted by a lot of old friends before the day ends. After all, the whole D list group watches out for one another."

The call ended and Thea took a deep breath. Then she took a few more. "Pseudologoi always lies. I'm sure the others won't be contacting me. They respected my decision years ago. They've kept their promise to not contact me unless it was a serious emergency."

She returned to work, and attempted to continue her research. Thea thought the mayor of the city and council board would be likely suspects to take a bribe. Before she could start looking into the financial background, her office phone rang again.

Once more she answered the phone. This time she had a surprised expression on her face. She couldn't believe who was calling her. "Come again?"

"I said it's wonderful to hear your voice again. You wouldn't believe the trouble I went through to find you. Isn't that right Elpis?" a beautiful and compassionate voice stated.

A muffled female voice replied. "That's right, Eleus."

"I'm sure you heard the news about what happened to the A-list Apollo. Isn't it sad? I wish I could go and comfort him. He deserves someone to pity him. At last, Eleus and I, can't afford a road trip right now."

Thea touched her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. "I'm glad you called me dear Eleus. I just don't understand why you did."

"Because, I wanted to ask if you would go in our place. According to Elpis, who had a recent conversation with her daughter, Pheme, Apollo is being accompanied by _Calypso_ of all people! She says they just left Camp Half Blood two days ago!"

Thea rubbed her forehead, wincing, from the gossip. "Thank you for the information. I also happen to be too busy to go on a road trip. Have a nice day, good bye."

Hanging up the phone she started typing on her keyboard when she got another phone call. This one was from an old friend by the name of Horcus. According to him, there was an oath breaker trying to find Apollo. He was appalled that a demigod would break an oath to an Olympian.

After saying goodbye, Thea got up and went to Fernando's office. She knocked and he looked up. "What can I help you with Thea?" the young man asked.

"I need to take the rest of the day off. My old friends and family keep calling me about a problem with one of my distant relatives. I promise to come back in once the calls stop coming in." She was utterly exhausted by the three calls she had received already.

Fernando told her to take as much time off as she needed to deal with her family problem. He also assured her job was safe and someone else could continue working on the brief.

Thea went home and locked herself in her office. She pulled out an old contact book. The book had been slightly modified to allow more detailed information about an individual. Some of the details contained were relations, current status, and domains.

After updating four pages, she turned her cell back on, after having turned it off to avoid calls while she was driving. Her cell showed she had missed three calls from people named; Bia, Hedone, and Philotes.

She would have to wait to call them back. She was already getting another call. It was from Anteros, who according the contact book, held domain over requited love. "Hello Anteros. It's been a few decades since I last heard from you. Where are you calling me from?"

"I'm vacationing in Ireland. I figure I hang out with some new friends. They sure know how to make a guy feel welcomed. So I suppose you heard the news?"

"Of course I have. It seems like all our surviving group friends, are enjoying the news about Apollo. I understand the yearning to gossip and make fun of an A list person's problems. I'm just apprehensive about getting convoluted with this."

"You're not the only one. Most of us have managed to survive this long by keeping our heads down. In a rush to boost their status or get payback, many of our friends are being reckless," Anteros replied in a calming tone. Even from across the world, he knew how to help people feel safe.

"True. Could you please do me a favor? Can you get in touch with the rest of our group and persuade them to leave me alone for now. I've got a lot to do."

"I'll try my best. Have a good rest of your day." The phone turned off as the woman tilted herself back in her chair. She flicked a switch on the chair and it started massaging her aching back.

Her phone vibrated and she hit ignore when she saw it was Himeros, (sexual love). She had no patience to talk with him. A few seconds later she erased a text message sent to her by Moros, (foreseen doom). She did take a call from Sophrosyne, (self-control and discretion).

* * *

When Isra got home, she was surprised to find her mom lying on the couch with an ice pack on her head. "Mom! You're home early. Are you feeling sick?"

"A severe headache and slightly stressed out. I've been getting calls all day from my old friends and some of my extended family."

"Extended family? You never told me anything about them. Will I get to meet them?"

Thea complained her headache was too severe to talk about this right now. The reasons for the calls had stressed her out to much. She was taking the rest of the week off. "When I'm better we will talk about this, I promise. Right now, I need to rest."

Isra bit her lip. Her mother had been acting very strange and her personality was starting to change. She was becoming sterner and brisk with everyone. "I hope you feel better soon Mom."

"Me too my rainbow. Me too."

The rest of the week, Isra did her best to take some of the stress off her mom. She took care of cleaning the house and cooking meal. She made her mom's bed the fluffiest and coziest room in the house. She offered to handle her mother's constant calls, but was told they were personal.

When Isra came home on Saturday afternoon, she had been helping Neha sort her art supplies, to find her mom on the phone with her boss. Interestingly, there were several labeled boxes in the dining and living room.

"I'm sorry to leave you in a lurch Fernando. If I had known how bad things were earlier, I would have given you more of a notice of my intentions."

Thea paced the length of the kitchen, listening to the other end of her conversation. Her expression was gloomy while her voice was robust and resolute. She let out a little laugh as she responded to whatever Fernando just said.

"I know, you can't predict family crises from happening. I love my family I really do, but there was a reason I left them years ago. The truth is, I need to get involved and help out. My cousin once removed, is in real trouble.

No, he's gotten really sick and all members of the family have to help out in any way they can. I don't know how long it will take, which is why I have to leave Seattle regrettably."

Isra dropped her purse upon hearing those words. Thea looked up at her daughter and saw the tears running down her face. Angrily, Isra ran upstairs, leaving her mom in the kitchen.

She flung herself onto her window seat, crying angrily as she clutched a pillow tightly. "Moving? When was she going to tell me this? Why do we have to go help a family member she never told me about before? This is unfair!"

She pressed her hands against the window, the trying to memorize the view so she wouldn't forget it. Seattle was the only home she had ever known. How could her mom do this to her. "What about what I want? I don't want to leave school and try to fit in during the spring semester! Where and when are we leaving?"

There was a knock on the door. Isra considered telling her mom to go away. However, she had been drilled in proper manners so she told her mom to enter. Isra refused to look at her mom, her attention firmly locked on the view.

"I know you're upset with me. Both because of my abrupt behavior and this unexpected move. None of this is fair to you. It's not even fair to me because I love living here with you," Thea admitted as she sat on her daughter's bed with a sad smile.

"Then why are you doing this? You never really talk about your family and certainly haven't visited any of them. Until this week, you've been ignoring them since you adopt me! Why?" Isra demanded to know. Her angry expression was reflected in the windows for her mom to see.

"Please, look at me Isra. There is so much to tell you, and I'm going to be truthful as I can, for now. The rest will be revealed when we move to our new home in Indianapolis."

Isra hazel eyes widened even more. Indianapolis was halfway across the country. It was two hours ahead of Seattle making talking to Neha rather challenging.

Getting up from the window seat, she sat on her bed next to her mom, with her hands folded together. She raised her head a little to show she was listening.

Thea placed a hand over her daughter's and spoke to her softly. "My family is very large and complicated. There's always been in fighting between us. It happens when your family is large and in charge of rather large, corporation so to speak."

"Please tell me the rest of our family are mob bosses," Isra interrupted.

Thea laughed and assured her they weren't involved in organized crime or any other kind of criminal activities. "Years ago, there a huge disagreement between our family members. What we were arguing about, I'll tell you later. For now, all you need to understand is that a lot of my family decided to move away from home and live apart from each other."

Again, Isra interrupted. "Must have been a big disagreement because you stopped communicating with each other."

"Yes, and we all had other reasons, for not wanting to contact one another. That situation has changed. As you heard earlier my cousin is very sick. His condition is critical, but he's still delusional about it.

Another cousin of mine, has asked me to go home to help out. She believes I'm the only one who can make him face the truth. There is also a job waiting for me at one of my family's properties. There is also a bonus for moving."

"Which is what?" Isra asked, her eyes finally fully locked on with her mom's.

"That company whose been trying to buy out the Center, one of their CEO's happens to live in Indianapolis. By living there, I can keep an eye on him and find a way to protect the Center here, from being taken over."

A very good reason to move Isra thought to herself. Mom hasn't seen her family in so long. It sounds to me she's trying to mend fences with her relatives because she misses them. Maybe I can finally meet my grandparents.

Smoothing her hair out Isra spoke up. "I'm still mad about the situation. At the same time I understand why you need to do this. For you, I'll do my best to handle the situation."

Thea kissed her daughter on the head. "I understand. We'll be leaving on Tuesday. Why don't you help me pack the house now, so you can spend tomorrow with Neha? I'm sure it's going to be hard to say goodbye."

"Can I have our new address so she can send me letters? She's old fashion remember?"

Thea nodded. "I'll give it you once we're properly settled in. Come my rainbow, we have a lot of packing to do."


	2. Honest

The drive to Indianapolis was going to be a long one. The distant between the two cities was two thousand two hundred and twenty six miles. By car it would take thirty three hours to get to Indianapolis. Which meant that Isra would be starting school on Friday, the worst day to start at school.

The family car drove down I-90 E which would take them through Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota, along with Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois before reaching Indiana. Their belongings were safely packed away in a U haul and what couldn't fit was in the back of the car.

They had started their journey at six am and had been traveling for about five and half hours. They had crossed the border into Montana half an hour ago. Isra was bored looking out the window.

"I'm bored Mom. I miss school, Neha, and I hate being stuck in this car for long," Isra complained loudly. She kicked her feet back and forth in agitation. "I've already listened to all my music on my personal player. I don't have a new book to read, and I don't want to play any car games."

Not taking her eyes off the road, Thea replied. "I know my little rainbow. This is momentous for me as well. I promise we'll stop for a break and lunch in half an hour. I'm trying to get us to Indiana as fast as I can."

"So what am I supposed to do until then?"

"Bird watch?"

"In a moving car?"

"Right, well why don't you close your eyes and relax for a little bit?"

With nothing else do, Isra closed her eyes and did her best to relax. Taking a few deep breaths, she let her mind wander. Maybe her new house would have a window seat? Would there be trees she could watch birds from? What was the neighborhood like?

A short time later, they pulled into a small restaurant near a bookstore. They got out of the car and went inside. The place was okay. It had nice lighting and booths certainly looked comfortable.

"Take a seat ladies, I'll be right with you," a waitress told them. Mother and daughter sat down. A couple of minutes later the waitress came over. "Can I get you two ladies anything to drink? We've got coffer, juice, or soda."

Thea requested some apple juice and Isra asked for an orange soda. The waitress nodded at them, gave them some menus to look over, and headed to get their drinks.

"Do you see anything you like Isra?"

The teen didn't reply. Isra was tired and still upset about this sudden move. She had accepted her mother's choice to move. However, she still didn't have to like it.

The waitress came back with their drinks and took their orders. Spaghetti for Thea and small stack of blueberry pancakes for Isra. The food arrived a short time later and the teen stuffed her mouth so she didn't have to talk.

"Please don't sulk Isra. I know you're upset about this. I promise you it will be okay. I think you'll like our new home."

Ignoring her mom, Isra continued to sulk. There was nothing fun about talking a long car trip, to a place she didn't want to go to. Not to mention starting a new school that probably didn't have a STEM program geared towards life science.

* * *

After lunch, they went to the bookstore next door to get some new books to entertain themselves. Isra purchased a few adventure/fantasy books and her mom bought two audio books. Surprisingly, she also purchased a large book called, "The Complete History of Everyone and Everything in Greek Mythology".

"It's a gift for you. I think you'll find this to be very informative and helpful in the near future," Thea told her daughter as she handed her the book. Isra eyebrows crept up unsure how this book could possibly be any help. She had never been into mythology before, despite her adventures nature.

Knowing her mom was trying to make her feel better, Isra took the book from her mom and settled into the car. "Do you know where we'll be spending the night?" Isra questioned in a bored tone, buckling herself in miserably.

"I want us to get as far as we can go. Hopefully we'll get to South Dakota before we have to stop." She slipped in one of her audio books, a mystery. Turning on the car, the road trip continued.

Two hours later Isra was done listening to her mom's mystery audio book. The narrator's voice was giving her a headache. Covering her ears with her noise canceling headphones, she decided to read the book her mom bought her to pass the time. It had about five hundred and fifty pages. Surely it would keep her mind occupied for a couple of hours.

She first read about the primordial gods and goddess such as Chaos, Gaia, and Pontus. Each mythological being had their own pages, showing photos or illustrations. The myths concerning them came after the biography pages. It even explained the slight variation between Greeks and Romans beliefs. The teen found herself getting hooked on the book.

Greek mythology is wonderful to read about. Even if none of this is real the stories about them reflect human nature at its best and worst. So the primordial gods were first, then came the second generation, by Gaia and Ouranos. I've only heard of Titans, I wonder who the other children are, Isra thought to herself.

According to mythology, Gaia first children were three cyclops, who had been bestowed the title Elders. They were locked up in Tartarus, the pit of the Underworld for being too ugly according to Ouranos.

"That's a silly reason to lock up your children. A parent should love their child no matter what they look like. So, Gaia had another batch of triplets and they had a hundred hands, no way!" Isra whispered out loud, not noticing her mom smiling.

Isra continued to read about the rest of Gaia's and Ouranos children. Gaia had to be tough as nails to give birth to the twelve Titans. The Titans were in a different chapter so she read more about other children of the primordial gods and goddess.

"Nyx is beautiful and her being the goddess of the night is wonderful. A girl whose domain is nighttime, must have been very protective of people. Oh, she's the mother of the Hemara, the goddess of the day? That's super interesting."

There was a family tree at the end of the chapter, showing the characters from this chapter and who was related to who. A few children were mentioned, but not all of them. Probably each chapter ended with a family tree until there was a master one.

Flipping back to the table of contents, she saw that there were chapters on mythical creatures, nymphs, along with a chapter about heroes and places. There was even a chapter about locations and map of ancient Greece.

"I guess I'm going to flipping back to the table of contents a lot. Maybe also the glossary. I'll have to check out the bibliography to find out where all these pictures of the art came from."

Isra was happily absorbed in her reading, she didn't realize how much time had passed until her mom tapped her shoulder. Looking up, she was startled to see the night sky. A glance at the clock said it was nearly eleven at night.

"We've made good time. We just entered South Dakota. I found us a place to sleep for the night. We'll get a good night's sleep and continue our journey tomorrow."

As soon as they entered their room Isra yawned and flopped on her bed. Just a second ago she was full of energy and couldn't imagine sleeping. Now, all she wanted to do was get under the covers and sleep. After a few minutes the teenager was in a deep sleep.

* * *

Once she was asleep, Thea went back outside to the car. She removed one box from the back seat and opened it. It contained the safe she had removed from their former home. She picked it up as if it weighed nothing.

Opening it up, she reached inside and pulled out the well figurine and the mirror. Thea looked at the objects, holding one up and one down. After staring at the items for a few more minutes, she placed the figurine back in the safe, keeping the mirror.

She muttered something quietly and the surface of the mirror shimmered. Her reflection disappeared. It was then replaced by the image of three kids riding on the back of a giant bronze dragon. The mechanical beast was having trouble staying in the air as a huge pack of Amphisbaena, (mythical snakes with heads at both ends), slithering after them.

"Snakes from Liberia in New Jersey. I wonder if Zealos asked for some help to increase the difficulty in order to get more wagers placed." Waving her hand over the mirror it returned to normal. Having witnessed the scene, she knew it was very important she get to Indianapolis before the trio did

"If Apollo makes it to Indianapolis still alive and only minor wounded it will be a miracle." Securing the mirror once more and making sure the car was locked up tightly, Thea returned to the room hoping for a good night sleep.

The next morning, after having an early breakfast, mother and daughter were back on the road. The goal was to make it to Iowa by tonight so they could sleep in a motel and then finish the last part of the journey Thursday morning and arrive in Indianapolis by mid afternoon.

Casually Thea asked, "Are you enjoying the book I bought you Isra."

Isra nodded her head and smiled joyously. "I didn't know Greek mythology was action packed and full of fun stories. I've only just reached the part with Kronos children have escaped from the Titan's palace."

She glanced down at the book, then closed it. "I don't understand something. Why are males characters praised as great and powerful, when so many eat their children?" Looking up at her mom, she silently prayed for an answer.

Thea shook her head and gave a soft laugh. "Titans and gods were considered to be the ultimate perfection of what any male should strive to achieve. That perfection came with power and greed."

Changing lanes, she added. "Many of the primordial gods and Titans didn't want to lose that power, so they would take drastic steps to keep in power. Keep reading and you'll discover how many lousy parents or liars are in the stories. You'll see how hard it is for even gods to admit the truth about themselves."

The rest of the journey was uneventful. Isra continued to read her book and her mother kept driving and double checking the GPS, to make sure they were still on the right road. The further they went the longer it seem to take.

* * *

Finally, around two pm on Thursday, the two of them arrived in Indianapolis. Compared to Seattle, Indianapolis was a very different in both geography and structure.

Unlike, the hilly and ocean side Seattle, Indianapolis was flat with a few kames and two rivers that fed the local reservoir. The city had been planned out long before it was built which made it more organized then Seattle.

Isra had done a bit of research on her new home before they left. According to Wikipedia, the city was the largest city in the state. Close by towns had been incorporated as neighborhoods for the city. The climate was also a bit different, winters wouldn't be heavy rainfalls, but snowfalls.

The economy of the city was growing slowly with focus on biotechnology, hospitality, and transportation center. These sectors hired a lot of local people and the expansion offered well paying jobs.

There were a lot of tourist and local destinations to visit. Lots of museums, theaters and music centers, and local attractions, which included the Indianapolis City Zoo, historical buildings, and the race track.

Isra had paid particular attention to the schools in the city. Since she had no idea where in Indianapolis they would be living, she had tried to learn as much as she could about the different schools. She hoped she would get to attend the George Washington Community High School. The student enrollment was about the same as her old school.

Isra turned her attention back to her mom, who looked a bit anxious. She kept glancing out the driver side window, eyeballing everyday people. "Mom, what's wrong? You seem kind of nervous," she pointed out. Isra looked out her own window to see if there was anything unusual and there wasn't.

"I'm find Isra, just nervous I guess about finding our new home. I'm going to drive around a bit to get my bearings."

Isra stared at the GPS unit, which was working fine. Why didn't her mom use that to find their home? Again she felt like her mom was keeping something from her.

They drove around for thirty minutes, crisscrossing the Wholesale District. Thea would drive one way, then take a sharp turn and head back where she came from. She stopped in parking lots for a few minutes, before returning to the road.

Finally, the car and trailer approached the Union Station building. Instead of parking in the main parking lot, Thea guided the vehicle to a side wall. Getting out of the car, she went over to the wall and touched a series of bricks. She stepped back as if she was waiting for something to happen.

Isra's jaw dropped as she watched the bricks moved out of the way and revealed a large ramp, big enough to drive up and through. When her mom got back in the car she sputtered, "What…how…where…"

Thea ignored her and drove up the ramp, the bricks closing behind them. The car reached a very big and expansive great hall. She parked the vehicle and trailer near the side of the exit. Magically a carport appeared startling Isra even more.

* * *

Seemingly out of nowhere; four figures appeared in the hall. Two of them were elderly ladies who had quivers strapped to their backs, wearing silver jackets, though one of them had a welder's mask in her hair. There was a small girl in coveralls beaming happy between them.

Isra rubbed her eyes and blinked furiously to make sure she wasn't hallucinating the last figure. It was orange colored ghost of a man, but he had no head! In his hands he was carrying a magic eight ball. The quartet was waiting for them to step out of the car.

"Mom, what is going on?! Wait, don't leave me alone in the car!" Isra frantically tried to stop her mom from leaving, but she twisted out of her daughter's tight grip.

"Isra, enough. We are going to greet our housemates and then get settled into the Waystation." Thea got out of the car gracefully, while Isra wanted to pull her hair out and screamed in frustration. Had her mom lost her mind?!

She bolted after her mom, who was greeting the two ladies politely. "It is a pleasure to meet to former Hunters and the caretakers of the Waystation. I hope that Lady Britomartis informed you I would be coming Ms. Emmie and Josephine. My cousin can be forgetful at times."

One of the ladies, the one without the mask stepped forward, and shook Thea's hand. "Our proprietor did stop by a few days ago, letting us know she had found a personification deity to help us out here," Emmie replied positively.

She looked past the younger woman and spotted a frantic Isra hiding a foot behind her mom. "Hello there. I'm Emmie. What's your name?"

The girl mumbled her name then grabbed her mom's arm, trying to pull her back to the car and failing miserably. The other woman, who must have been Josephine, tilted her head, trying to figure out what the teen's problem was.

"Isra right? I know the Waystation is a lot to take in. The first time any person comes here it can be overwhelming. Still, I think you would be a lot calmer growing up with Alethea as your adoptive mom."

"What are you talking about? Could someone please tell me what's going on here?" Isra screeched, unconsciously placing herself between her mom and the others. Ready to protect her if the ladies started firing their arrows.

Seeing their puzzled expressions Isra's mom explained she hadn't told her daughter the whole truth yet. She had been waiting until they arrived at the Waystation to explain everything.

They went into the kitchen/ dining area and they all sat down at a small table. The ghost, or, Agamethus as seemed to be called, hovered nearby.

Thea took a deep breath and then gently stroked her daughter's face with one hand and used the other to squeeze one of Isra's. "I know that you are feeling very confused and frightened. The last few days haven't been very easy for you or me. Whatever questions you have, please have patience with me?"

Isra's heart was still beating fast. The calm expressions on the older ladies and the child's playful smile were having the opposite effect on her emotions. She swore she felt the ghost was breathing down her neck, even though he was headless.

For another matter, she swore she felt the building looking into her mind. The temperature in the room seemed to be getting colder, as if this place didn't want her here. How could a building feel anything?

She pulled away from her mom and wrapped her arms around her chest shivering. "Mom, please what is this place? Why does it feel as if the building spying on me?"

Her mom took another breath and waved her hand around to encompass the whole edifice. "This place is called the Waystation, a sentient building created to be a safe place for traveling demigods, Hunters, and regular mortals. The Waystation takes care of them all.

The only way to find this place is if you are invited by the caretakers, proprietor, or the Waystation itself. The proprietor of this magical building is a cousin of mine, the Lady of the Nets, Britomartis. She asked me to come here and help out."

Isra scrunched her face as she tried to remember where she heard that name before. Also, why was she called the Lady of the Nets? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something causing her mythology book's pages to move.

She reached out and yanked the book into her lap. Staring down at the page, she felt her lungs refusing to breath. It took a conscious effort to get the air in her lungs. "Britomartis, was the daughter of Zeus and Karme, the demigod of harvest on the island of Crete. Her father was Eobouleus, the brother of Triptolemus, who was turned into the god of plowing by Demeter, for his kindness during her search for Persephone."

Managing to get more air into her lungs she continued to read the entry in a shaky voice. "Born a nymph, Britomartis loved running and hunting as a companion to Artemis. For nine months she was pursued by Minos before she escaped him by jumping into fishing nets. As a reward for her cleverness, Artemis transformed her friend into the Goddess of Nets and Traps, and spread the worship of her across ancient Greece. Her symbols are fishing nets and her sacred animals are griffins and hunting dogs."

Isra slammed the book shut. This had to be someone's idea of sick joke or a hidden prank show. "You expect me to believe that the goddess mentioned here is real? It's impossible. All of this is impossible!" This time she was the one indicating the entire Waystation. The building rumbled in response, like it was upset with her.

"I must be dreaming, we're still in the car driving to Indianapolis." She pinched herself hard and yelped. She felt pain, which meant this wasn't a dream. Everything happening was very real.

How could this be happening to me? Mythology means made up stories! Is this why Mom bought me that book? Wait a minute, she said it would be helpful in the future and didn't Josephine call her by a different name? How did she even know about this place? Something isn't adding up.

"Tell me who you really are _Mom_ ," Isra demanded in a tight and angry voice. It scared Georgina, who was now hiding behind her two moms.

Looking slightly dejected, Thea stood up and backed up a few paces. Her body started to change. She grew a few inches and her hair started to change slightly. Her clothes melted away. In the blink of an eye, Thea had changed from a mortal woman to a goddess with a slight aura around her.

She wore a beautiful white and red chiton. Her face had rounded out slightly and her skin had bronzed. Her corn silk hair had been braided in an elaborate pony tail. Her brown eyes held great wisdom.

Something rattled in the car. A box opened up and two objects levitated out the window. The mirror zoomed into Thea's right hand as the figurine landed on her left side. In a flash of light the figurine changed into a real well.

The young woman watched as her daughter rubbed her eyes several times. "Isra, do you recall the time I showed you my birth certificate?"

Isra shook her head. Her mouth twitched as if she was going to smile, but she didn't. Her mouth was still a firm line as she waited to hear the truth.

"My name is made up of my Greek, Roman, and type of goddess I am. My full name is Aletheia Veritas Daimona. Daimona means personified spirit, which means I represent an action, emotion, or moral. I'm the Goddess of Truth."

Aletheia stood there waiting for a response from her daughter. She wasn't expecting Isra to lash out and slap her in the face. She was too stunned by Isra's actions to respond.

Hot tears rolled down Isra's face, her fingernails digging into her palms, causing a few drops of blood to fall to the floor. "You lied to me! Were you ever going to tell me the truth? Am I some charity case you decided to take in to boost your ego? You know what, don't answer me! For a Goddess of Truth, you're nothing but a liar!"

* * *

The teenager ran off, plunging into the depths of the Waystation, feeling angry and betrayed. Her sobs echoed back to the grand hall. Aletheia started to go after her, when Emmie stepped in front of her. "You need to give her some space. Right now, she's confused, upset, and trying to come to terms with this new reality."

"You might as well stay here and have lunch. Hope you like blow torched cucumber sandwiches."

Isra didn't pay any attention to where she was going. As long as it was far away from her supposed "mom" she was fine with it. How could the person she trusted the most, not tell her who she really was? It was if Aletheia didn't believe in her to keep such an important secret. More importantly, did the goddess view her as a true daughter or as pet.

As she ran she didn't notice the Waystation changing slightly. The building seemed to sense her confusing emotions and created a ladder in front of the girl. Without hesitation, Isra climbed up and found herself on the roof of the building.

Wiping her tears off her face, Isra wondered why the Waystation had sent her to the roof. She noticed a pair of binoculars next to the ladder and a small bench in the middle of the roof.

"Um I don't know if you can actually understand me. Thank you for uh creating this little space. Are you sure I won't be seen up here?" The rooftop slid around for a few seconds. "I'll take that as a yes."

Picking up the binoculars, she sat on the bench looking up into the sky hoping to see some birds she never watched before. After a few minutes she saw a black billed cuckoo looking for some place to rest. It must have arrived earlier than expected.

Looking around she spied a nest on a building containing a common nighthawk resting. She scanned the rest of the sky, despite knowing most birds wouldn't be in the Indiana skies until spring.

Hearing the sound of an eagle cry, Isra turned her head to the left and spotted two brown dots. Adjusting the lens, she watched as the two dots got closer and closer.

She saw the head of an eagle and a pair of majestic wings. "What kind of eagle is that?" Isra muttered to herself. She stood up and took two small steps towards the edge of the roof.

Now, she could see the two clearly. It wasn't two eagles heading here, it was two _griffons_! The half eagle half lion pair swooped around the building, observing her, before they flew through a retractable section of the roof.

Isra hurried back down into the Waystation and made her way back into the main hall. She wasn't aware of everyone looking at her as she returned to the room. Cautiously, the teenager climbed a ladder which lead to the griffons' nest.

The magnificent creatures were tidying up their nest. The bigger male, Abelard, screeched at Isra and the female, Heloise, curled her claws, but neither attacked. They watched her with curiosity.

Very, very, slowly Isra pulled herself up and onto the ledge holding the nest up. Not daring to come any closer, she did her best to show she wasn't a threat. She kept her eyes downward and tried to look submissive.

After what felt like hours, when it was only a few minutes, the pair started chirping a little bit. Isra slowly moved closer and held her hand out towards Abelard. He stuck his head out a little and let her stroke him. "You and your mate are the most beautiful creatures I have even seen."

Spotting a bag marked Griffon Tots, Isra maneuvered herself slowly around, picked up the treats, and then hand fed the griffons, who became more affectionate and friendlier with her.

Below in the kitchen Josephine looked over to Aletheia and whispered. "Your girl is pretty special. Abelard and Heloise never give _anyone_ permission to touch them, unless they are fed beforehand."

Emmie added that the griffons had never been this friendly, even to Britomartis before. Aletheia wondered if it was the Persian blood in her daughter's veins, making her so likeable. After all, the Persian Empire had been honoring the creatures long before the Greeks encountered them.

* * *

Eventually, Isra left the griffons nest and came over to the kitchen. Approaching her mom, she hesitated for a few seconds before throwing herself into her arms and sobbing. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry for the way I spoke and acted towards you! It was wrong."

Aletheia stroked her daughter's hair, tears gleaming in her own eyes. "I'm sorry too. I should have told you the truth sooner, before we moved. I was afraid of your reaction." She was trembling, afraid that her daughter would reject her again.

Kissing her daughter on her forehead she whispered to Isra she was never a charity case. "I have lived many mortal lives, but never as a mother before. I chose you because I loved you the minute I saw you. You are my daughter no matter what."

Isra squeezed her mother tightly, happy to hear those words. "Tell me everything please."

"I will I promise, after we unpack and settle in. My story is very long and I want you to be comfortable when I tell it."

With the other residents pitching in, it only took an hour to unload the car and U haul and set up the three rooms, the Waystation had set up for them. The mother and daughter bedrooms were right next to each other and the small office space was on the other side. The well had been moved into a corner of the office space.

Emmie, Josephine, and Georgia decided to leave the family of two alone for the rest of the day. Isra sat on her bed, knees tucked up. The mythology book lay in the middle of the bed and Aletheia sat on the end of the bed.

"My story begins millenniums ago. It was after the first Titan War and before my father's punishment. My father is Prometheus, he crafted me out of clay and brought me to life. His wife, Pronoia, was my foster mother.

I had one brother, Deukalion, the Greek version of Noah. I only met him a few times. I grew up on Mount Parnassus in Phocis. Both my parents were known for their foresight. I enjoyed my life, until Zeus decided to punish my father for giving fire to man. When that happened, Zeus commanded me to come with him to Olympus, to be his "daughter" of truth, so he could know when anyone was lying to him."

The goddess frowned as her eyebrows angled up in an expression of mild fury before her features relaxed. "Over time, I was put in the D-rank group. Other personification spirits and very minor, tiny really, gods and goddess. I wasn't treated with a lot of respect, but that was fine with me. I enjoyed the friends I had."

Isra leaned in a bit, tapping the book. "So is the big argument that drove you from the family in here?"

Her mom shook her head, folding her hands in her lap. "Over the millenniums, the gods and goddess have survived by many different means, the most efficient and quickest way to survive, was to have demigod children."

Isra eyebrows rose almost up to her scalp. Her mom being a goddess was one thing, but gods having kids with everyday humans? How could people not realize who they were dating?

"Very few mortals can see through the Mist, a magical veil that separates mortals from perceiving the many dangers around them. Now that you know the truth, I can help you see through it."

After Isra acknowledged this, Aletheia continued her story. She explained the concept of fading away and the dangers demigods faced. She also mentioned her disgust at the amount of demigod children the higher level gods and goddess created only to not even acknowledge or pay attention to them.

"Eventually, a lot of members of my group, whose concepts would be around forever, decided to leave Olympus and live among mortals, occasionally returning to Mount Olympus to eat ambrosia and drink nectar, to replenish ourselves.

I have lived many lives over the years. As a goddess, I can change my appearance and age to whatever I wanted. I have been a daughter, wife or lover, even a stepmother. I fostered several kids, but not until you, have I ever been a true mother. I didn't want to create demigod children, so I would ensure I was infertile to prevent it."

Isra realized those albums must contain pictures and mementos from her mom's past lives. A record of who she had been and the people she had loved so long ago. "I understand now, why you didn't want me to see those albums. It wasn't just the truth behind them, it was the sadness attached to them."

Aletheia looked away and her right hand clenched the bed sheets. "Yes. Over the years I've put a lot of distance between me and the rest of the family. Oh I kept in touch was some of them and listen for news, but it has been nearly seventy five years since I was contacted, until last week."

"Which prompted our move here. Are the well and mirror your symbols?"

Aletheia nodded and explained how the well of truth always spoke the truth to whoever offered a token in exchange. Her magic mirror would show the truth and reflect a person's true nature. She had kept her symbols safe for ages, only using them occasionally.

"One day, I will show you how to use them, but only in extreme emergencies. These are powerful artifacts and can be extremely dangerous to mortals without training."

Isra was delighted to learn her mother would trust her enough to train her in the use of these objects. Her adventures spirit was returning in full force as she pictured what her new life would be like.

"I'll tell you more about your new life tomorrow. Right now, we need to help prepare dinner and then get you ready for school tomorrow."

* * *

Isra was happy to help wash and chop veggies for dinner. When she learned that Emmie, Josephine, and Georgina were vegetarians, she silently vowed to look for places to eat meat between school and the Waystation. She loved fruits and vegetables, but she couldn't live without meat.

Later as she started to get ready to sleep, Agamethus entered her room, holding his magic 8 ball. Still wary of a real ghost, Isra kept her distance. "Is…there…something I can help you with?"

The orange ghost tossed her the magic 8 ball and she barely managed to catch it. "Emmie mentioned you communicate with this right?"

The ghost glowed bright orange for a second, so Isra took that as a yes. Flipping the toy over she saw the little dice come into view. _Isra will help._

"What…exactly will…I help with?" she asked as she cautiously handed the toy back to the ghost. He shook it and handed it back to her.

 _Dangers in the near future._

"Dangers?! What kind of…no I don't expect you to know. I'll be careful I promise. Would you like this back?"

Agamethus glowed bright orange and held out his hand. Isra gave him the toy, shivering slightly by the close contact, and he left the teenager. "Magic buildings, my mom being a goddess, and now an orange ghost. I hope tomorrow isn't as weird."

* * *

The next morning, Isra came out of her room wearing her best pair of pants, a long sleeved marigold colored shirt, wearing a simple gold necklace. Breakfast was already on the table as the residents sat down.

"We made breakfast today, but you need to contribute if you want to eat. The Waystation isn't a hotel. You'll be expected to do chores daily," Emmie informed the teen. The little girl Georgina, who was coloring a picture, looked up at Isra and nodded towards one of her mother's in agreement.

Isra rolled her eyes. This was her new home, why wouldn't she do chores? Helping herself to some grapefruit, she asked her mom how she was getting to school, considering the building was hidden.

"There's a public bus stop nearby that can take you to your new school," Aletheia told her daughter. She returned to her mortal form and already had stack of papers, ready to continue her pursuit of stopping Triumvirate Holdings from their attempt to destroy her former work place.

Aletheia slid a piece of paper over to Isra, who picked it up. On it was a picture of a tribe of people with a face in their chest with no head. According to the information provide, this creature was known as a blemmyae.

There was a significant population in Indianapolis, especially around this neighborhood. As long as you were polite to them, they would leave you alone. They wore fifties style clothing and traveled in group up to three. You could tell them from regular people because of a slight bulge in the chest and bobby heads.

Flipping the page over, there was the name Commodus underlined three times. In big letters, was a sentence telling her to never say this name out loud and to keep an eye out for his minions. There were some pictures of people and a very hazy image of the emperor.

"I learned about the emperor last night. He's looking for this place, which is why I drove around like I was lost. We can't let him know this location Isra. You must _never_ tell anyone about this place. Do you understand?"

"Yes Mom. I'll be very careful." Isra rose from her sea and put on her coat, before she grabbed some lunch money, and left the Waystation, which provided her a secret door so it didn't look like she just stepped out of the wall.

Following the signs, she found the bus stop and picked up a map of the routes. As she waited for the bus, a woman in purple and yellow honey-suckled dress with a 1950's hair style. Her face seemed frozen somehow.

"Good morning to you dearie. How are you on this find winter day?"

"I'm a little chilly miss, thank you for asking." Now that she could see through the Mist, it was easier to tell this woman was a blemmyae, judging by her clothing style and slight bulge in the chest.

I need to be careful, I can't let her know I'm onto her. "Are you taking the bus to work?"

"Oh no, I just wanted to keep you company until the bus arrived. Judging by your backpack, I'm sure you're on your way to school." The bus came into sight and rattled as it came to the bus stop.

Isra politely said goodbye as she boarded the bus. Glad that she had a bit of extra money, she paid for the ride and sat down, clutching her straps tightly. The teen kept glancing from the bus route map and outside the window, to find landmarks to help her remember the route.

* * *

At last, the bus came to a stop next to her new school, the one she hoped to be in. Shuffling off the bus, she gazed up at the looming three story brick building trying not to be intimidated.

Several students were entering the front doors. Still gripping her straps tightly, she walked inside looking for the administration office. Even though the halls weren't too crowded, everyone seemed very busy heading to their first class so they wouldn't be marked tardy.

Finally, she reached the administration office. Going inside, she approached the secretary. "Excuse me, my name is Isra Daimona. I'm new here and I came to get my class schedule."

The secretary, who was surprisingly male, looked up at her. "Yes, I was told to expect you. Here's your schedule Ms. Daimona. I also have your student handbook, agenda, and your locker combination. Please step over here so I can take your picture for your school ID."

Isra did her best to smile happily and push down her nervousness. Soon she had her everything she needed and went to her first class. Thankfully, it was something she knew a great deal about. After all, chemistry was essential to help create lifesaving medicine.

The bell had already rung by the time she reached the chemistry lab. Isra entered the room with confidence and looked up at the teacher. She looked like she was waiting for an explanation.

"I apologize for being late Mrs. Turner. I'm new here and I was having trouble locating the classroom."

"It's alright, may I have your name please?"

"Isra Daimona."

The teacher smiled and assigned her to sit in the back lab table. Sitting down she looked at her lab partner. The girl had short brown hair, blue eyes, and very disinterested look in her eye.

Isra started taking notes as the teacher wrote formulas on the whiteboard, explaining the chemical reaction for an upcoming lab assignment. Isra was so focused, she didn't hear the other students whispering about her.

"Her clothes are boring and make her look dumpy."

"Did you hear her accent? Is she a foreigner?"

"My friend works in the administration office. She said she's from a special high school in Seattle. Wonder how smart she is if she flunked out."

Finally it was lab time. "Today's class will be about exothermic reactions," Mrs. Turner started worksheets out the front row who started handing them to row behind them. "You will gather the materials listed on the worksheet and perform the experiment to create a mystical cloud. Then you will write down the answers to the questions on your papers. Everyone, work with your partners and be careful."

Isra, excitedly followed the rest of the class to pick up their supplies and safety gears. She put on her rubber gloves and protective eyewear, before carrying back, a graduated cylinder, an opaque bottle with a rubber stopper, along with a tea bag, 30% hydrogen peroxide, and potassium chloride. That's when she noticed her partner hadn't gotten her safety gear.

"You need to get your safety gear on. We can't start the experiment until you do," Isra pointed out. She looked behind her and saw there was still one pair of safety outfits. "There right over there. I can get them for you if you want."

The girl said nothing. She just kept staring at Isra, making her feel very uncomfortable. "I'll get your safety gear, be right back." A minute later she placed the gear on their table.

The brown haired girl just shoved the stuff to the floor and started to doodle on her worksheet. Isra picked up the gear, holding them out for her partner. Scowling, her partner shoved the stuff to the floor again. Without saying a word, the girl snatched her worksheet off the table, went to the counter top along the wall, before sitting on a stool and writing answers down on the paper.

"What is going on with her? All I did was try to be friendly," Isra told herself softly, fiddling with her hands as she continued to stare at the girl. Not knowing what else to do, the freshman started the experiment by herself.

As the class ended Isra, tried to talk to the girl again, but her lab partner had already pushed her way out the door. "Maybe, I should ask the teacher? Not today, I really need to get to my other classes."

The rest of the school day didn't get any better. Her hypothesis about attending a non-STEM school had been correct. Public schools had different graduation standards. You had to earn a lot of credits in order to graduate.

Isra's next three classes; Freshman Lit, Economics, and World History had their own challenges.

First, in Literature class, the class was talking about a book they had read, Pride and Prejudice, and the teacher had included her in the book discussion, assuming Isra had read the book at her old school.

The teenager explained about her old school being steered to STEM programs. The Literature teacher frowned and told her harshly this school focused on the necessary classes, not some failing program. It was clear she was a critic of the program.

Economics was a new kind of math for her. At this point in the semester, the class was in the midst of talking about stocks and bonds, using concepts Isra didn't understand.

At least in World History, she wasn't struggling. The class had just started a new chapter in the book, and it was about the Roman Empire. Remembering her mother's warning, Isra payed very close attention as the teacher talked about the expansion of the empire.

Finally it was lunch time. Isra managed to find the cafeteria on her own. She got into the lunch line, hoping for a good meal. She was disappointed when they severed her macaroni and cheese, pineapple chunks, along with green beans and carton of milk.

"I really hate macaroni and cheese," Isra muttered to herself. Looking down at the rest of the meal, she could only shake her head at the fruit choice. Aletheia had done her best to cook several Persian dishes for her growing up. She didn't want Isra to forget her cultural heritage.

"I love fruit, just not pineapple. Looks like its beans for lunch." Isra looked for a place to sit. She started walking towards one table, when one of the girl put her backpack on the only available chair.

"Okay, let's see if there are any other seats." She approached a table full of boys, but once again someone threw a personal item on the seat. Every time she approached a table it was the same thing.

What have I done to be treated like this? Even if there are cliques, shouldn't some students try to befriend me? Isra finally found a spot at nearly empty table in the back. The only other person there was the girl from Chemistry. "Do you mind if I eat here?"

The brown hair girl rolled her eyes and pointed to seat farthest from her. Taking that as a yes, Isra sat down and started eating her beans. "So are you having a nice day?"

The girl ignored her again and continued to eat her lunch. She ate like it was her last meal. Not understanding the problem, Isra gave up talking and concentrated on her meal.

The last two classes of the day happened to be her electives. During the weekend of packing, Aletheia had managed to get Isra in the two classes she wanted. She had chosen Gym and Spanish. Partially so could get in shape and because learning Spanish would be easier then French or German.

Gym was okay. They were doing basic exercises. Jumping jacks, pushups, toe touches. When it came to two people exercises, such as sit ups and partner pulls, the teacher had to assign her a partner because no one volunteered for the job.

It was the same in Spanish, once again people either gossiped about her or ignored her. Isra was never so happy to leave school. She barely remembered to be extra cautious as she approached the Waystation.

Aletheia was still working on the paperwork when her daughter came home. "How was your first day of school?" she asked Isra when the girl came into the main hall.

"It was horrible. No one seemed to like me, my literature teacher thought I was an idiot, and my lab partner didn't even speak to me," Isra admitted as she lunged herself into her mother's arms.

Aletheia hugged her daughter tightly. "I'm sorry you had a bad day. I'm sure when Monday comes around things will be better. Perhaps you can call Neha later? But you'll have to do it outside the Waystation. Cellphone activities in a magical buildings tends to get the wrong kind of attention."

Isra sniffled and hugged her mother even tighter. She thought about asking her mom to use her powers to find out the truth behind this terrible day then dismissed it. She would have to do this herself.

I think I need an entire room dedicated to everything related to the Greek gods and the Roman Empire if I'm going to make it in this world. I'll talk to the Waystation about that tomorrow.


	3. Compassion

Isra had been living at the Waystation for almost two weeks now. Her mother had taught her much about the hidden world of the Greek/Roman parathion and the Waystation had even created a room for her to help her keep track of everything.

She had nicknamed it the Godly Room. On the back wall was a huge oak family tree painted on the wall with magnetic tags on each leaf. They contained the names, domain, and page reference numbers on all the different gods and goddesses.

On the left wall were two maps. One of ancient Greece with pushpins labeling the old cities and other locations. Next to it was a map of the modern world with more pushpins labeling new locations for places or areas where other gods and goddess appeared.

On the right was a library full of information about the different groups, monsters, anything you needed to know about the hidden world. Curiously, there were also books on Egyptian, Norse, Hindu, even Mayan mythology. Isra was going to look at them later.

The front of the room was a research and study station. Places to look at maps, tools to decode documents, even a computer that worked for two hours a day for any resident. Which was a good thing when you were a high school student, who needed to type up homework assignments.

* * *

At the moment though, Isra was up in the griffons nest, lying against Heloise, as she wrote her report for World History. Even though the female griffin was with egg and due in a couple of weeks, she wasn't hostile to the teen. The same couldn't be said about the others. Abelard and Heloise would let the others approach, but none could get as close to them as Isra could. She was even helping them prepare the nest for the egg laying.

"I'm starting to understand why these emperors are so dangerous Heloise. We just finished studying the Julian-Claudian Dynasty. I can now truly understand why Nero was so evil," Isra commented as she wrote about Nero profiting from starting the Great Fire and how he burned the Christians alive using them as scapegoats."

Heloise chirped a few times, wanting to hear more about the report.

"I wonder why though, some historians believe that Nero was a great emperor, and he, shouldn't be seen in such a negative light. One of the ancient writers, Tacitus stated that deflation of money during Nero's reign, was from charity protects."

Heloise screeched loudly, agreeing it was an outrageous claim. Considering Tacitus was the only ancient writer who cast a positive light on Nero, it would seem that the other two writers, Suetonius and Cassius Dio, knew more about the political implications then he did.

Heloise lowered her head indicating she need a good scratching. Isra was happy to oblige. She raked her fingers furiously on the feather neck for several minutes. The female rubbed her head against Isra in thanks.

"Do you need a scratching Abelard?" Isra asked, looking the griffin over. Abelard turned over showing his belly. Putting her report away; Isra crawled over and gave him a good belly rub. He also rubbed his head against her.

"Isra, come down from there! It's time for dinner!" Aletheia called upward. From her spot on the ground, she watched her daughter apologize to the griffins and come down the ladder. One look at Isra and her mother pointed her towards one of the bathrooms. "You aren't going to eat dinner until you get cleaned up. You've got hay sticking out from your hair and your hands are covered in fur," Aletheia pointed out, resting her hands on her hips.

"Sorry Mom, I'll be right back." Isra fast walked to the closest bathroom, pulling hay out of her hair, as she went.

Emmie, who had just finished setting the table for dinner, brushed back her hair and commented to Aletheia, "I'm glad to see Isra feeling relaxed and comfortable here. I have no objection with her spending time with the griffins." The ex-Hunter bit her lip, before adding, "I wonder, does she have any friends at school yet?"

Aletheia shook her head no. Even after a month at school, Isra was still getting the silent treatment or gossiped about. Her Literature teacher was still giving her a hard time. As, both a mother and a goddess, she wanted to step in and help Isra, but knew it would upset her daughter if she interfered.

"Children can be cruel to one another. Trust me I know. Hopefully, she'll make some friends soon. Georgina, why don't you ask Isra if she wants to draw with you tonight?"

"Okay Mom! Drawing is always more fun when you have someone to do it with," Georgina replied happily.

Isra came back into the room perfectly clean now. "What's for dinner tonight? Did you make one of my favorite dishes tonight Mom?"

"Actually it was my turn to cook and we're having vegetable soup. I hope you like it. Georgina and I picked the carrots and potatoes earlier while you were at school," Emmie informed Isra as she poured a large amount of soup in the girl's bowl.

Isra's eyebrows twitched, but she didn't say anything, but it was getting harder to keep her emotions inside. When will it be Mom's turn to cook? She promised to teach me how, but there was never time she thought to herself.

"Mom, could we have some _kufte_ or _juje kabab_ for dinner tomorrow? I'll even settle for some _taftun_ and _tachin._ What about one of my favorite deserts? Surely, there is any harm in making some _halva_ or having _bamie_ for a snack?" Isra begged her mom. She did her best imitation of a puppy, hoping it would achieve the desired result.

Emmie and Josephine had never heard of those dishes. It would be nice to try new recipes. Georgina bounced in her seat. "What's _halva_ and _bamie_?" the seven year old asked curiously.

Isra's eye lit up as her face moved into a dreamy expression." _Halva_ is one of my favorite confections. It's made from wheat flour, butter, and sweet rose water. The delicious taste stays in your mouth for hours afterwards.

The other one, _bamie_ , is fried dough balls soaked in sugar syrup. It's a wonderful snack," Isra explained kindly to Georgina. She wished she could use her cell in the Waystation to show her pictures.

Aletheia remembered those sweet treats. Cooking was a wonderful talent she had developed over the centuries. Cooking didn't involve lies of any kind, something that brought her pleasure. "Isra, we can't have your favorite meat dishes tomorrow. There's no meat here remember? I can probably back your favorite bread this weekend. Again, you'll have to go without your favorite polow due to the chickens being off limits."

* * *

Isra held back her tears and finished eating her soup. After dinner, she went with Georgina to draw. The seven year old gave Isra her own pack of crayons and pencils to draw with.

Isra watched as Georgina settled into drawing her moms and her together. Picking up the pencil, she slowly drew the outline of the resident griffins flying free in the sky. At least they got to eat meat.

The petite teen first drew the head, only to erase it and start again. Heloise's head was rounder with a sharper beak then her mate. Struggling to draw the individual feather, Isra gave that up for now.

Holding the pencil sharply, the teen used hard strokes to create the wings in flight. Those look like angel wings, not griffin wings, try again Isra thought. Picking up the pencil she started to redraw the wings making them look right.

Georgina, looked up from her finished drawing and peeked over at Isra drawing. The girl couldn't hold back her laughter. "Heloise and Abelard look like they're clowns in the sky! Ha ha ha."

"I'm not good at art. Hiking, bird watching, studying I can do those things Georgina. Art and ugh poetry are talents I don't possess," Isra said, before tackling the little girl on the bed and tickling her. Both of them started laughing happily.

Georgina wriggled out of her grasp and jumped off her bed as she ran around her room taunting Isra to catch her. Every time Isra made a grab for her, the little girl managed to dodge out of the way. She was having a lot of fun being chased around.

Finally, Isra managed to capture the girl when she tried to jump over her bed. "You are a little scamp you know that Georgina?" She tickled the child on her nose before putting her on the bed. "Get ready for bed. Your moms will be here soon to tuck you in."

"Hope you have nice dreams Isra. You're the best big sister ever." Isra blushed at the title, thanked the little girl then power marched her way to her bedroom.

The Waystation had other ideas and shifted the rooms until she was back in the main hall. The adults were nowhere in sight and the griffins were pawing at the ceiling wanting to go out to hunt. They made a pleading sound when they spotted their favorite mortal.

"Okay, calm down please," Isra held up her hands and gesturing for them to relax. She went over to the workshop area and looked on the counters and under them looking for a button to open the roof. After fingering under the table for a few seconds, the roof opened and the griffons let out a screeching thanks. "Have a good hunt, bring some meat back for me okay!" She had no idea what would happen to her as she slept tonight.

* * *

 _It was another beautiful day in the_ _Achaemeind Empire. The capital of Persepolis gleamed as the jeweled center of this great empire. While the soldiers kept the peace across the vast empire, the residents of the capital where free to live a life of comfort for the most part._

 _In a small temple near the palace, people were making offerings to the Guardians of the Light, the noble griffins who protected their cultural riches and was the symbol of the empire's power. Their winged protectors ever since Cyrus the Great brought them here.  
_

 _This temple was covered in jewels, with beautiful statues and altars, had been made specifically for the palace's very own griffons. In a large courtyard, several nests made with bits of metal and hay, some with the agate colored eggs. Females patrolled the palace skies and the males joined the hunting parties._

 _A young lady, dressed in silk sat on a small throne in the center of the courtyard. While the citizens made their offerings to the beasts, the lady would direct them were to put it. Only occasionally, did she call down a griffon from the skies, to eat the offering._

 _There was a commotion and the guards were chasing after a thief, stealing away one of the golden goblets the creatures guarded. With a commanding tone, the young woman rose from the throne and signaled the griffons._

 _Furious about the theft, the griffons dive bombed the thief. He screamed as they tore him limb from limb, until there was nothing left. The lady picked up the goblet and spoke to everyone assembled. "Let this be a warning to all. Do not take the treasures of our leaders, for the guardians of light, will see through a person's lies and punish them accordingly."_

 _The girl who spoke, her face was identical to Isra's!_

* * *

Isra woke up panting hard. That was the craziest dream she ever had. "What was that all about?" There was a loud ringing sound, which startled the teen so much, she fell off her bed.

"Ow," she moaned. Pushing herself up, she reached out, and tapped the button to shut off her alarm clock. Wincing slightly she got up and started to dress for the day.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in!" Aletheia entered her daughter's room. She looked concerned when she saw the bruise starting to appear on her daughter's right side.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Mom, I just fell out of bed after the alarm clock startled me. I woke up from a strange dream and wasn't completely awake when it went off."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Isra shook her head as she finished pulling on her sweater and rubbed her hands to get warm. Even with the Waystation heating all the rooms, it was a lot colder than she was use too.

Aletheia wished there was more she could do to help her daughter. Her powers had limits. If she tried to make it warmer in here Isra might start overheating. Instead she told her some good news.

"I finished my brief for the Center last night. It contains not only every legal trick to keep the Center out of Triumvirate Holdings hands, but also contains a list of people who accept bribes and their secretes. It should be enough for now."

Isra grinned widely upon hearing the news. When you had the goddess of truth on your legal time, no secrets could be hidden from her. Everyone back in Seattle would be pleased with the news.

"I can't wait to tell Neha the good news. She's been helping out at the Center since we left." Linking her arm with her mom's, the two went to breakfast.

Arriving in the great hall, Isra was surprised to see Abelard and Heloise hadn't returned yet from their hunt. The last time they went out hunting they had returned the next day.

Maybe they're still out stocking up food for when Heloise lays her egg. She'll need a lot of energy to lay the egg Isra thought to herself. At the table she saw Georgina looking incredibly sad.

"Our friends haven't returned home. Do you think they're okay?" the little girl asked anxiously.

Emmie and Josephine assured her the griffins were fine. Like Isra, they believed they might have gone to stock up on a lot of food. Even with their reassurances Georgina continued to look worried.

After breakfast, Georgina went to her room to color. Her mom Emmie was going to go scout out the area and Josephine was busy creating more mechanical crossbow turrets for the nearby plaza. Aletheia had left the Waystation to find a safe place to send her brief to Seattle.

Agamethus watched over the little girl as he had since he had brought her as a baby to the two former Hunters. He could tell Georgina had a lot on her mind. He flashed a bright orange to get her attention.

"Aga, what if Abelard and Heloise don't come back? My moms are so sad. So many friends are gone. I hoped when Isra and Ala…ala…Thea moved here, everything would be fine, but it's not!"

The ghost settled down on the floor and gave the girl a little air hug. He was also worried about their feather and furred friends. He hoped they would return before the day was over.

But they didn't return that night or any other night within the next week. The girl was very angry and upset. "Everyone keeps disappearing. How long until Isra and her mom vanish? What about my moms? I have to do something," the seven year old pouted as she tried to fall asleep.

But Georgina couldn't fall asleep. There had to be something she could do to help. She wanted her family back together. She missed having other people around to play with. Georgina wanted to outside without fear.

Turning over in the bed she saw one of her crayon drawings. It was a blue cave. That's it, I'll go to the Dark Oracle for help! He'll know what to do Georgina thought excitedly.

Sneaking into the main hall, she trotted over towards the Daimona's car. They keys were hanging on hook in the carport. It was just out of reach of the seven year old.

Sticking out her tongue, she tried to think of a way she could get the keys. Searching the room, she spied a broom resting against the workshop table. Georgina tried to snap her fingers in delight, but couldn't do it yet.

After getting the keys, Georgina opened the passenger side door, hopping a bit to get in the seat. Agamethus was already in the driver side, buckled in. He was glowing a bright orange as he strapped Georgina into her seat.

"We need to go to the Dark Oracle Aga please?"

The ghost somehow took possession of the car keys and started the vehicle. Somehow the headless ghost, who had been dead since the age of ancient Greece, knew how to drive a car.

The sound of the car turning over woke up Isra, who started to panic. "Waystation what is going on?" she demanded as she detangled herself from her sheets. In the back of her mind she felt a tiny voice insisting she get to the main hall.

Aletheia exited her room, scrambling into her bathrobe and ran into her daughter, who tripped on her way out of her room. "Isra, did you hear that?"

The teen nodded as the mother and daughter hurried to the main hall. The Waystation had sent an alert to Emmie and Josephine, who were scrambling to investigate.

Once in the great hall, Isra blinked her eyes several times. Aletheia covered her mouth in disbelief, while the old ladies started panicking. The sight of the car missing and some crayons lying on the floor, everyone put two and two together.

"Jo, check on Georgina please! Isra go check the security system, now!" Grabbing Aletheia's wrist, she dragged the goddess to the empty carport. Snatching a crayon of the floor she shoved it in the goddess palm.

"Tell me the truth, where is my little girl?!"

Aletheia shook her head. "My powers don't work like that. I can't scry for anyone directly. Truth doesn't work like that."

Kneeling on the floor, Aletheia placed both her hands on the floor and started speaking a spell. The more she used her powers, the brighter the aura around her appeared.

In the goddesses' mind she saw what happened a short time ago. Releasing her spell, she looked up to her friend. "She wasn't kidnapped from the Waystation. She left on her own with the resident ghost. They're heading to the Cave of the Trophonius"

"Can you bring them back?" the old Hunter demanded as she stopped herself from hitting anything.

"No, I can't. I only know where they're going, not where they are right now. New Hercules forces are everywhere in the city and along the highway to the Cave. All we can do is wait and hope Georgina comes back safely on her own."

Georgina and Agamethus did return in the morning. The ex-Hunters pulled their little girl out of the car frantically. She was crying and sobbing. She shouted the word, "death" over and over.

They put her to bed, hoping she was just tired from the long night. When Isra got back from school that day, she checked on Georgina and dropped her backpack in horror upon seeing the girl's bedroom walls.

An entire corner had black storm clouds on it. There were what appeared to be llamas getting stabbed by triangle knifes. There were a bunch of stick figures cheering over what appeared to be a pool of blood. Images of a dark cave appeared several times.

Rushing into the room, she found Georgina on the floor tearing at her hair. "Stop, Georgina stop you're hurting yourself!" Isra grabbed the little girl by her wrists and pulled her up. The child kept trying to tear her hair off.

Isra rushed out the room with the little girl as the Waystation changed its corridors so she didn't have far to get to the infirmary. Alerted by the Waystation, all the adults appeared in the room, just as the teenager finished putting the restraints on.

The two moms looked at their child in horror. Their happy child was screaming madly as she wiggled around in the restraints. The restraints held, but there were spots of blood on them. "Apollo! Death! Cave!"

Tears strewed down the elderly ladies faces as they tried to comfort their newly insane daughter. Isra stared transfixed by the horror she was witnessing. Aletheia summoned her mirror hoping it could help.

The goddess approached the child and held the mirror out so Georgina's face was reflected in it. "Georgina, did you make it to the Dark Oracle, yes or no?"

The child didn't answer, but continued to struggle against her restraints.

"Did you get a prophecy?" Aletheia insisted loudly.

Georgina spat at the mirror and growled. She didn't like that mirror at all. Sadly, Aletheia told the two former Hunters there was nothing she could do to help stabilize the little girl's mind. "She needs the Throne of Memory, but you said New Hercules has it."

Emmie nodded unhappily. "We don't know where he is hiding. The Throne will most likely be heavily guarded. We're not as young as we use to be, it would be impossible for us to take down the emperor's forces."

Josephine freed their daughter and took her back to her room. The child shrieked more about death, blood, and emperors. Until they got the Throne back, Georgina would suffer.

* * *

The quartet did their best to keep Georgina safe and look for alternative methods to get the prophecy out of the child's mind, but they found nothing. Then a few weeks later Georgina escaped the Waystation. They all searched for her, but never found her. They all feared the worst had happen, that she was now a prisoner of New Hercules.

For her part, Isra wanted to stay and help search for the girl and the griffins, but Aletheia forbidden it. It was important the freshman kept to her routine so no one would be suspicious of her being a resident of the Waystation.

Isra did as she was told, but that didn't stop her from looking for Georgina on her too and from the school. Agamethus had told her they would need her help during a time of great danger.

Nothing I do seems to make a difference she thought as she walked home. The school had let the students out early because of the whole school had lost power and no one could teach properly. There had been a least a dozen blackouts the last few days and no one could find the source of the problem.

As she got closer to the Waystation, the air around her started to feel different. It felt a bit heavy and there was some smoke residue along the sidewalks. She swore she smelled the ocean in the air.

Looking around to make sure the blemmyae were not in the area, Isra entered the Waystation from the back entrance it had created for her. "I'm home early! The school lost power. They promised it would be fixed today so I still have classes tomorrow," she called out as she hurried up the ramp.

"I'll help with lun…" Isra stopped speaking as she saw two boys she had never met before, next to Josephine and her mom. One of them, a handsome Latino kid with short brown hair and eyes. He had been talking with Josephine, probably about mechanics, noticing the tool belt.

Her mother was glaring at the second boy. His brown hair was a tangled mess and his blue eyes made her feel smaller for some reason. His skin was dirty and he appeared to trying to look both prideful and intimating at the same time, but failed at both.

"Mom, what's going on? Are these two demigods?" she asked hesitantly. The boy looked at her, his brow ferruling in incredulity. He cocked his head and squinted, as if he could see a speck of dirt on her.

The boy lost interest in her and looked at her mom slightly angered. "You accuse me of being irresponsible when you're the one who birthed a demigod, after you just told me you never would do that."

He poked his finger in her mom's chest. Aletheia forcefully removed it. "For your information, I have kept my vow. Isra is _my_ child! It doesn't matter to me that I adopted her, she's always be mine. So shut up Apollo."

Isra looked at the sixteen year old again, but there was nothing remarkable about him. He didn't look like a god and she didn't get the same sense of awe when she was near him, unlike when her mother and her spent time together.

A thought struck her mind. "Is _he_ the cousin you were talking about? The one who was sick and needed us to move here so we could help take care of him?" she asked frankly.

The boy's face grinned and he looked very happy to hear those words. "So, you were being coy Ms. Truth? How wonderful it is to hear you'll be helping to take care of me."

He leaned in to place his head on Aletheia's shoulders when she slapped him away. "I'm here to help you face the truth of the situation and hopefully do my duty as a personification spirit, to better yourself."

Isra watched her sweet loving mom, morph into an angry and bitter stranger. Her mom was whispering something into Apollo's right ear. She caught the words, "forgotten, shameful, and irresponsible," but didn't fully understand.

The petite teen felt a buzz in the back of her head. Something was nudging her to go to the infirmary. The Waystation must have been very anxious because she had only turned the corner and ran smack into the infirmary.

Emmie was tending to a beautiful female who looked about a year or two older than Isra. She had long lovely caramel colored hair and beautiful dark eyes that held great wisdom in them.

Emmie was healing one of the girl's foot, apparently it was broken. She had already sped up the healing for a broken hand. Both woman were so occupied they didn't realize Isra had entered the room until she coughed.

"Isra, I thought you were at school."

"School let out early because the building was out of power. I met our guests," she commented off hand. Avoiding the snakes, the teen moved until she was next to the exam table.

Running her hand through her short black locks, the teen admitted she had never seen her mom act so hostile before. It seemed strange to be hostile to the family member you were trying to help and Emmie told her it was natural when it came to godly families.

Emmie paused for a second and told her she had to go talk to Josephine. She wanted to know if Isra could keep Calypso company while she healed, to which the teen agreed.

Pulling up a chair, Isra sat down next to the table. "Hi, my name is Isra Daimona. My mom, Aletheia, adopted me when I was a baby."

Calypso smiled at her. "It pleases me to hear not all gods and goddess are selfish." Carefully, propping herself up the former Titaness asked what it was like to be the mortal daughter of a personification goddess

Isra stated she would answer her questions if Calypso answered some of hers. She wanted to know more about the world that had opened up to her recently. The teenagers spent the next few hours talking to each other hoping this was the start of a beautiful friendship.

Lunch was awkward, considering there hadn't been any other tenants in the Waystation besides her mom and herself. Tension was high when Agamethus revealed it was up to Apollo to bring Georgina home.

When the mortal god started to say a limerick, Isra covered her ears because of how much she detested poetry. Judging by Calypso and Leo's reactions, she could tell it was a really bad one.

Josephine chastised Apollo for saying the limerick. "What's so bad about limerick, besides being a horrible poem?" she whispered to her mom.

"When a prophecy comes in this form, it generally means there is increased danger for those near the person the prophecy is meant for." Straightening up Aletheia weighed in the conversation after hearing Apollo didn't even remember much about the Cave of Trophonius.

"Typical, so typical that you wouldn't pay attention to your own network."

Apollo looked offended and leaned across the table frowning on his face. "There is nothing wrong with paying attention to quality of the sacrifice or if the hymns were praising me enough."

Aletheia also leaned across the table staring him down. "The Oracles purpose was to give prophecies to humans, to help them find their way in times of trouble. Many people went insane from the Dark Oracle, desperate people trying to find hope!"

"Then maybe they should have gone to Delphi instead!"

Calypso yanked Apollo back into his seat and glared at him. "This is no time to be arguing. What dangers are associated with this Dark Oracle?"

Before anyone could respond, there was a loud thump on the roof and the Waystation shook and sounded a small alarm. Something or someone was trying to get in.

"We'll go check it out. The rest of you clean up lunch okay. Emmie, Josephine, let's go." The goddess of truth touched their shoulders and they instantly teleported to the roof.

* * *

The four kids cleared off the table, scrapped their plates, before washing, drying, and putting the dishes back where they belonged. It was very quiet, no one was saying anything.

After putting away a few plates, Isra looked over to Calypso, who seemed to be angry with her boyfriend Leo for some reason. "I can answer your questions about the Dark Oracle if you want Calypso."

Calypso stopped rinsing the dishes as she pivoted on her former broken foot to face Isra. "What do you know about it?"

Standing confidently, Isra responded. "Going to the Cave can make you insane, just like it did to Georgina. I assume Emmie and Josephine told you about her?"

The group nodded and Calypso seemed to get sadder hearing the little girl's name. "According to my mom, first, you had to drink from two special streams, Memory and Forgetfulness."

Leo paused in his steam drying. "Wouldn't the two spring, like, cancel each other out?"

Apollo shook his head. "They would prepare your mind for the Oracle, if it didn't kill you first. You would then descend into the cave and face untold horrors."

"Such as?" Calypso asked.

Apollo started to answer, but Isra interrupted him. "There are snakes, dangerous underground gases, and Trophonius himself will try to lead you astray so you would die of starvation."

"That is, like, seriously insane. Why would _anyone_ , willingly go there?" Leo demanded. He had stepped closer to Calypso, who was staring at Apollo with a heated expression.

Isra shrugged her shoulders. "My mom did say earlier people were desperate at times. Perhaps, they believed they had to go through all of the dangers to prove themselves worthy of the Dark Oracle."

This time Apollo interrupted. "Once Trophonius gave you bits of a nightmarish verse, the petitioner would stumble out of the Cave, and the priests would sit you on the Throne of Memory, carved by the Titan Mnemosyne, ("your aunt" Isra stated), so it could help expel the prophecy. Once the priests wrote down it became a prophecy for the petitioner."

Calypso closed her eyes and counted to ten. "Without the throne, the nightmarish visions stayed with you and gradually made you insane. That's awful."

Isra agreed with her. "My mom tried to help with her Mirror, but it didn't work. Truth doesn't have the power to wipe away insanity or free a prophecy from a child."

This troubled the trio. They wondered how Georgina was holding up now that she was a prisoner of New Hercules. Calypso had a fierce look in her eye. She knew about being a prisoner and it broke her heart to imagine a small child suffering this fate.

Out of thin air they heard Aletheia call for them to come to the main hall. The four of them went to the main hall, where the goddess and the ex-Hunters stood by the entrance, looking a little nervous.

"Apollo, you have a visitor, who wants to talk with you," the Goddess of Truth informed the mortal god in a tense tone. "She's up in the griffon loft."

Apollo stepped on a rug, which hadn't been there before. It changed into a net and pulled him up to the griffons nest. There was smatter of clapping and someone said in a gleeful voice, "Hello Apollo. Heard your human now. This is going to be fun."

A woman wore a dress made of mesh and camouflage gear. Her auburn hair was in a long ponytail that wrapped around her neck. Her dark eyes were like a big cat enjoying playing with its food before killing it.

She raised a knife to fling towards the net, when Aletheia stopped her. "We don't have time for games Britomartis." Aletheia extend her arm outward, using her powers to bring the net to the ground and untied it so Apollo could stand up.

"Did you have to spoil my fun Thea? I haven't trapped Apollo in ages," the goddess of nets whined.

Aletheia rolled her eyes. "You asked me to come here to help protect the Waystation and help the people here see the whole truth." Her image rippled until she was in her old goddess clothes.

Seeing the other goddess do this Britomartis, sheathed her knife and stopped whining. "Emmie, Josephine please give us the room. Take the mortal girl with you."

"My daughter stays here Bri. I don't want her to accidentally run into one your traps."

The net goddess let out a groan, but let Isra stay. Aletheia gestured for her daughter to come take the seat beside her. For a split second her eyes flashed red as she scanned the seat, before they returned to normal.

Isra took her seat and watched the exchange between the others. Britomartis was nothing like she expected. She was a predator without mercy. "I've heard about you Calypso. Exiled to Ogygia after the Titan War. Waiting for whatever man came along to break your heart. That must have gotten terribly old.

She turned towards Leo. "This is your rescuer, eh? He's a bit short and scruffy for a knight in shining armor."

"Hey, lady. Leo took out a tin of breath mints and waved it at her face. "I've blown up way more powerful goddess than you before."

"And he's not my rescuer," Calypso added.

"Yeah!" Leo frowned. "Wait, I kind of was, actually."

"Nor is he a knight, but he is short and scruffy."

Leo was steaming at the collar. Isra knew if he mouthed off now, he be in real trouble. "Leo, please calm down. Britomartis is the proprietor of the Waystation. She helped construct it."

"Yes, I did. Some of my best work! Now sit down so we can talk."

Having seen how Britomartis acted and Aletheia early warning, the trio checked the seats for traps. They found a bear trap and disarmed a bomb before removing some trip wire.

"You found my traps! Leo Valdez, you'll do nicely!" Twisting her braid, the net goddess said, "I'm glad that we're alone. I love Emmie and Josephine, but my quest takes precedence over their search."

Isra gasped and Aletheia looked like she wanted to trap Britomartis in her own net and leave her hanging for hours. As Calypso and Britomartis started to give into it, the truth goddess flicked her hand and both ladies found themselves unable to talk.

Apollo looked impressed by the act. He started to open his mouth to compliment his cousin, but decided against it. He settled back down as the goddess gave a last warning. "Time is precious right now. There is much to be done if we're to win the upcoming fight. No more teasing and lies. You have a favor to ask of us cousin, so please get to the point." With a wave of her hand the girls could talk again.

"I wish you would stop doing that cousin. You want me to get to the point, here it is. My griffons are being held prisoner in the Indianapolis Zoo. The emperor wants to use them, along with the whole zoo, and other mythical creatures, in his big naming ceremony in three days."

Isra leapt up horrified by the image of hundreds of dead carcasses. "You mean Co, I mean, the New Hercules wants to slaughter innocent animals just because he wants to rename the city? That's disgusting and horrible!" She pointed to Britomartis exclaiming, "Why don't you do something about it? You're a goddess!"

Britomartis curled her fist and watched as the mortal teen fall backwards into her chair and the arms pinning her in place. "I thought you would have taught her some manners Thea," she said, tilting her head towards her friend.

"I taught her the value of being honest and ensuring people do the right thing," the goddess snapped as she freed Isra from the chair. The goddess held her daughter tight and patted her on the back.

This is why I hated my punishment by the gods. They have no respect for anyone else Calypso thought to herself. "Clearly, you want us to rescue the griffons. If we bring them back here, what will you give us in return?"

"I'll tell you about a secret entrance to get you into the emperor's palace so you can rescue the little girl and retrieve the throne. Apollo, you and Calypso can save my griffons. I'm sure Valdez here, can help shore up the defenses for the inevitable battle."

The two former immortals started to argue why they couldn't work together. The proprietor of the Waystation ignored them and told them they should get a good night sleep because they needed to leave at first light. Then she vanished from the room.

When the two ex-Hunters heard what Britomartis wanted, they were very upset. Neither could see how finding the griffons would lead to the rescue of their daughter.

Even Aletheia assurances that the goddess hadn't been lying about the situation didn't comfort them. Both woman also wondered how successful two formal immortals, who didn't like each other, could work together during this quest.

That night, while the rest of the residents slept, Isra entered the Godly Room. She had a gut feeling, Calypso and Apollo, would need her tomorrow to succeed. The only question was, how could she help them?

Isra pulled all the available information on Calypso and sat down to read it. According to the information, her new friend had been pretty powerful when it came to air magic and enchanting people.

"To think she was capable of healing grave injuries in only a few hours. Now she can't even heal herself," the teen whispered. "Even without powers, I'm sure Calypso can handle herself."

Apollo on the other hand, she wasn't so sure about. Her mother had made it clear that her cousin was prideful and inconsiderate to others. He was also a bit delusional about the whole situation, still not understanding the entirety of the situation.

We came here to help Apollo face the truth about the situation. Mom's hinted there's more than just getting him to accept the situation. She wants to free him from the lies he told himself.

I know I can help with that. I've always been honest and I work hard to achieve my dreams. My knowledge of life sciences would be invaluable in escaping alive.

Taking out her cell phone, she risked sending a text to Neha, to ask her opinion if she would skip school if it meant helping recover a lost girl.

Neha's reply was quick. _Isra skipping school to fool around is a bad idea. In this case, you want to help save someone, go for it! I hope you succeed._

Later, a half hour before dawn, Isra tiptoed out of the Waystation. Even with the chill in the air, she wore light clothing, making it easier for her to move. She had packed her birdwatching and hiking gear, plus a first aid kit, in her backpack. If she could get to the zoo ahead of the two former immortals, maybe she could find Abelard and Heloise first.

Walking to the zoo was not easy. It was a forty minute walk which was made longer because Isra kept having to change her course to avoid the blemmyae.

The teen couldn't shake the feeling she was being followed. She kept glancing around, but saw no one looking directly at her. It was still very early in the morning and only a few people were up.

Picking up the pace, she hurried down the street intent on arriving at the zoo quickly. As she passed by an alley, a hand reached out and grabbed her. Isra tried to scream, but her voice was gone.

Her captor dragged her down the alley and threw her behind a dumpster. An empty box was shoved over her, forcing Isra to lay down flat. Instinct told the teen to not throw the box off.

A few seconds later, she heard heavily accented male voices speaking near her. "Where did she go? Commodus wanted us to catch her for a last minute sacrifice."

"I don't know why. She's just another random kid, not a _daemons_." The two men shuffled around for a few minutes before declaring it a lost cause. Their footsteps retreated.

Isra captor kept them hidden for several minutes before removing the boxes. The captor let go of her arm and Isra was surprised to see it was her lab partner from Chemistry!

Once more, she tried to talk, but her voice wouldn't come out. The other girl tapped her lips twice. All at once Isra heard herself saying, "What did you do? Hey I can talk again!"

Delighted she could talk again, Isra really looked at her lab partner, who she really hadn't interacted with at all. The girl before had chocolate brown bobbed hair and gold eyes. She was also average height and pale skinned. She was wearing a blue hoodie and sweatpants.

Reaching into her pocket, the girl pulled out a card and handed it to Isra who read it. _My name is Quieta Ward and I'm mute._ " Well that certainly explained why she never spoke.

Taking her card back, she withdrew from another pocket a large memo pad and pencil. Quieta wrote something down on it before flipping it over so Isra could read it.

 _Why are the Germani after you? Did they want the artifact in your backpack?_

"I don't know what you're talking about. I don't have anything valuable in my backpack, just my bird watching gear. Here I'll show you." Isra tipped the bag over and was surprised to see her mother's Mirror lying next to her binoculars.

Shocked, Isra took the Mirror out. There was a sticky note attached to the back. There was a little drawing of a magic eight ball on it. How in the world did Agamethus slip this in without her or her mother noticing it?

Quieta correctly read her lab partner's shocked expression. Clearly she didn't know she was carrying a magical mirror. Tapping the memo pad, to get the other girl's attention she wrote something on it.

 _You have a unique aura around you. People around you feel it when they come near you. They have an unwilling desire to speak truthfully and sincere. To admit secrets they don't want to tell._

Isra never knew she had aura around her. Growing up with the Goddess of Truth must have caused some of her mother's power to cling to her. No wonder no one in Indianapolis wanted to be her friend. They hadn't grown up with her so they were heavily affected by it, unlike in Seattle.

Quieta wrote another question down. _Do you spend a lot of time around a personification spirit?_ _Hesykhia, the Goddess of Silence and Rest, is my godmother. She blessed me with some of her power. I can make people or animals quiet. If someone's mind is too active, I can cause the mind to rest a bit._

"You're serious aren't you?" Quieta nodded and looked very excited. This must be the first time she met someone similar to her. Isra had a lot more questions about Quieta's relationship with Hesykhia.

"Is there an advantage of being a mute?"

 _I hear and see things more clearly than others. Without a voice, I can truly be myself without watching what I say. It is also helpful when learning about someone._

 _I'm sorry about how I treated you, my parents warned me to be careful around people with unusual auras. Keep an eye out for Germani because if they find you, you'll never be seen again._

 _I had to take my time to learn about you and see if you were a friend or foe. I know now you are a good person, who wants to help people. I can tell you were going to skip school. Is there someone who needs help?_

"Yes, there is and I think they'll need all the help they can get. We need to get to the zoo fast."

* * *

When they arrived at the Indianapolis Zoo, it was after first light. The girls saw a shoe caught in the barb wire along the border wall. Hearing a tiger rumble they decided that was not the best place to enter the zoo.

The girls tried the gate, and were surprised, it was unlocked, even though the zoo wouldn't open officially for a few hours. Entering the establishment, they walked quietly careful not be seen by any early morning zookeepers.

They were nearing a crossroad area, up ahead, Isra could see Calypso and Apollo. Isra was about to call out to them, when Quieta tapped her shoulders and shook her head violently. She pointed to a display of fake trees, gesturing they should hide.

Luckily, they did because several Germani started searching the area, no doubt looking for Calypso and Apollo. They waited until they passed before coming out of hiding.

We need to find Abelard and Heloise fast. The sooner there free the better. With all the emperor's forces looking for Calypso and Apollo, there's a chance for us to find them without getting caught Isra thought.

Pulling out her binoculars, Isra climbed the fake trees and peered through them, trying to figure out a location where her friends might be hidden. Her eyes were drawn to the Plains section. Adjusting the binoculars, she could make out a hidden section.

She dropped down from the fake tree. "There's hidden section behind the Plains exhibit. I bet all my lunch money that's where the griffons are. Any ideas how we can get there unseen?"

 _I have one idea. I've been to the zoo before and one time I was lucky enough to get chosen to see the zoo behind the zoo. If we take the routes used by the zookeepers, we won't be spotted._

Agreeing with Quieta, the two of them hurried to the nearest entrance to the employee routes and hurried to the Plain's exhibit, following the directional signs. When they came to a sign with the words Special Animals, and the doorway had an eye and fingerprint scanner, they knew they had reached their destination.

How do we open the door? There's no way we can take down a Germania and bring them here. I doubt either of us know how to disable the scanner without setting off the alarm. There must be something I can do. Reaching into her backpack, she slowly took out her mom's Mirror. The grip and frame were marble. The mirror itself was a beautifully polished bronze face. Her mother had told her what the words on the back meant.

I have no idea how to use this. Mom warned me it was dangerous to mess with godly artifacts, because their power can be too much for a mortal to handle. Please don't fry me.

Holding the Mirror in a death grip, she aimed it at the scanners. She took a deep breath and concentrated hard. "Please, if you can help open the door to save my friends, I beg you too."

The Mirror heated up so fast, Isra nearly dropped the symbol. She struggled to stay upright. The power of the mirror was putting intense pressure on her body forcing her to sink slowly towards the floor.

The door popped open and the mirror cooled down. The teenager fell to the floor, still gripping the mirror tightly. Painstakingly, she managed to free one hand from the grip. Her hand had raw marks on it and it looked a bit inflamed.

"Get the first aid kit out of my backpack," she hissed to Quieta. Her lab partner started rooting for the kit. As soon as she found it, she started treating Isra's hands, seeing as Isra had managed to pry the other one loose.

Once her hands were bandaged, Isra slid the mirror back into her pack. Gritting her teeth, she ignored the pain shooting through her body as she stood up. Tightening her grip on the pack, the lab partners entered the area.

By sheer luck, the door opened next to the griffin exhibit. Hearing their cries, Isra hurried over and cried. Abelard and Heloise were in the enclosure, chained down, but otherwise unhurt.

They recognized Isra and called out to her. Poor Abelard looked thinner and Heloise was ready to lay her egg at any moment. She pounded on the Plexiglas separating her from her friends.

Quieta ran over to a control panel and pulled the switch labeled griffons. The Plexiglas slide away just as Calypso and Apollo came into view bringing a sack of gold tater tots with them.

"ISRA! What are you doing here?" Calypso demanded. She looked pretty ragged and there were holes in her new ski jacket.

"Who is this girl and why are you approaching Abelard and Heloise without any food?!" Apollo shrieked.

"There's not time to explain. I need your help removing these chains!"

She scurried over to the breeding pair, stroking them and assuring them they would be fine. While they cuddled with her, an astonished Apollo brought over the food and Calypso started picking the locks.

Quieta gestured they needed to get out of here now. She pointed to the overhead net and mimed cutting it. Isra nodded and watched her new friend climb to the top of the enclosure.

Out of thin air Quieta pulled out a knife and started to cut the net when someone clapped. A muscular blond man carrying a sword stood there. He had blood and bruises all over his body, he still looked like he could fight.

"What do we have here? Even more intruders? No matter the emperor will deal with them. Apollo well done," said the swordsman. "You found a perfect place to die."

No one wanted to be killed by this man. Apollo approached him slowly. "Your King Midas son, Lityerses? You came through the Doors of Death. You're working for the emperor now, correct?"

"Triumvirate Holdings recognized my talent and power. I'll deliver you to Commodus in pieces!"

He attacked, ready to take off their heads, when another girl appeared out of the foliage. Apollo shouted Meg. The girl didn't react as the Reaper of Men and she fought in a deadly dance of blades.

Tearing her gaze from the fight, Quieta returned her attention to the net. She kept cutting it until it snapped. A gust of wind blew the net over to the swordfight. It flew right into Lityerses, tangling him up.

"Let's go! Abelard, get Calypso and Apollo on your back and carry Meg in your talons! Heloise, you'll carry me and Quieta! I promise we're not going too far."

Remarkably, the griffins did as she asked. With a mighty screech, Abelard and Heloise, picked up their passengers and flew off into the sky as fast as their wings would carry them.


	4. Trust

Riding a griffin was the most amazing experience in Isra's young life. They flew high into the sky, taking cover behind some clouds. Abelard and Heloise were ecstatic to be free once more.

As Heloise started flying towards the Waystation, Isra felt a tingling in her mind. Something wasn't right. Leaning forward, she whispered into Heloise ear, "I know you have to lay your egg Heloise. But we need to stop and check you over. I think they might have done something to you in captivity."

Heloise squawked in protest. She was determined to get back to the Waystation as quickly as possible. The female griffin kept her course. A few seconds later, she felt Isra pulling on her scruff.

"RAWK!"

"Please Heloise, I don't want anything bad to happen to you or your egg," Isra begged, her eyes watering up.

Heloise relented and started to fly in the direction of their hunting grounds, at Eagle Creek State Park. Abelard called out to his mate, wondering what she was doing. After a short conversation, he followed her.

"Where are we going? The Waystation is that way!" Apollo said, pointing in the opposite direction of where they were going. He tugged on Abelard's scruff and squeezed his legs, trying to get the animal to turn, but Abelard wouldn't heed his commands.

A few minutes later they reached the state park and the griffins nosedived into the thick tree coverage. The griffins were surprisingly agile, maneuvering around the tree branches and avoiding large boulders. At last they came to a hidden lea and the animals settled into the grass.

Heloise allowed Quieta and Isra to dismount safely. Meg helped Calypso down, before Abelard rolled over, squishing a sputtering Apollo. Meg pulled him out from under Abelard.

"Why are we here instead of the Waystation? Britomartis will not be happy if we keep her waiting. You don't want to be caught in her version of a mouse trap," Apollo snapped at the girls, while trying to look dignified.

Isra stood as tall as she could, which wasn't very much. "Something is not right. I have a hunch…"

"Oh a hunch? You interfered with our rescue attempts, which caused us a whole lot of trouble and unnecessary chances to die easily, because you had a hunch? Humans, you always think you know best when you…." It was like someone hit the mute button because his mouth was moving, but no sound was coming out.

Quieta had used her limited abilities to silence Apollo for a short time. Nodding at Isra, she went over to help Calypso out, taking the first aid kit with her. Meg, seeing her slave unable to talk, approached Isra. She appeared to be a bit wary of her. At the same time she looked like she was impressed.

"Your friend is pretty good at shutting up annoying guys," Meg remarked, adjusting her diamanté cat eye glasses. "She a demigod too?"

"I don't think so. She told me her godmother is Hesykhia and she was blessed with a small bit of power," Isra explained to Meg. "I'm fully human by the way. My adopted mom is Aletheia goddess of truth."

"That's interesting, so what's got you up in a tizzy?"

Isra explained her feeling and she wanted to check the griffins over, to see if Commodus's soldiers had done anything to them. Meg thought Commodus was too dumb to think of something so smart, but nevertheless, started checking the griffins out.

Heloise and Abelard, screeched as Meg approached them, not trusting her at all. Isra talked softly calming them down and gestured for Apollo, who still couldn't talk at this point, to help her inspect the griffins.

Meg and Apollo checked Abelard over, careful to avoid his massive paws and sharp beak. As Isra started to check over Heloise over, Quieta was helping Calypso up.

Isra called out over her shoulder."Calypso, if you're feeling up to it, can you sing a lullaby for Heloise? She needs to relax a little, so I can check her over."

The former sorceress nodded and softly sang, while Quieta kept her sitting upright. Every few second, Calypso would take a sip from an energy drink that had been packed in the first aid kit, surprisingly.

Isra concentrated checking the skin under the feathers and fur. I'm not sure what I'm looking for, but I'll know it when I see it she thought. Then she spotted it, near Heloise's rump, there was a tiny thin cut, and looked like it was just starting to scab. The cut seemed to perfect and precise. Someone had done something to Heloise.

"Heloise, do you remember if the vets at the zoo did surgery on you? Did they put something in you?"

Heloise and Abelard both made the same high pitched screech. Someone had put something in them, but they were unable to describe what it was. Whatever it was, they needed to remove it immediately.

"We can't do anything until we know what's in them and where it is exactly. I wonder," She reached into her backpack and carefully, removed the Mirror and held it in her bandaged hands.

Quieta eyes widened upon the sight of the Mirror. She snapped her fingers, both to get Meg and Apollo's attention, and give the mortal god, his voice back as well. She furiously wrote something on her notepad and handed it too Calypso.

Calypso read it and looked greatly concerned. "Isra! Is that really the Mirror of Truth? One of your mom's sacred symbols?"

Looking in Calypso's direction, she nodded. "Agamethus put it in my backpack without my knowledge. I used to help Quieta and me, enter the area with the mythical creatures."

"You're extremely lucky all it did was burn your hands. Didn't your mom explain the dangers about using it?" the former Titaness inquired furiously.

Isra nodded and explained to the group about her mom was going to train her to use it, but hadn't gotten around to it yet. She had taken a gamble using it before being trained. It had worked once before, when they needed its help. Why not use it again to help her griffin friends?

Quieta took a back her notepad and wrote something down before showing it to her friend. _You should not use it again, until your mom shows you how to use it safely. My godmother, Hesykhia, she stayed with us for five months to help me with my blessing. She visits us every few months, but she's not going to be back in town for another month or so._

"I understand Quieta, but if we don't learn what type of surgery was performed on the griffins, taking them back to the Waystation could have deadly consequences."

Meg held up one of her swords. "I could cut open the incision, then we could just pluck whatever it is out."

"NO!" Calypso and Apollo said together. Both Abelard and Heloise screeched in agreement. They didn't want anyone else operating on them, even if they did have the right equipment to do the job, which the group didn't have.

The human teen bit her lip. She knew they had to get to back to the Waystation soon if Heloise was to lay her egg safely, but they couldn't just leave without finding out what was inside the griffins.

Calypso, shakily stood up. The sudden burst of magic, she had created the air that had blown the net over Lityerses, had left her very weak. The former Titaness swayed on her feet before walking the few steps over to her friend.

"You're right about needing to help the griffins, but the Mirror of Truth's power is obviously too much for you to handle alone," Calypso told the girl as she held onto her shoulder to stay up. "However, we have a former god and Titaness, a demigod, and a blessed child. Perhaps together we can use the Mirror without getting hurt."

Apollo protested loudly, saying he didn't want to look at his flabby human form. Quieta rolled her eyes in annoyance and Meg stomped over determine to help.

"Get your gluteus over here Apollo," Calypso managed to state firmly, her voice almost normal. Reluctantly, he joined them. Each person had a grip on a different part of the Mirror. The Mirror sent a tingling sensation through their hands, reminding them of its power.

Isra took a deep breath. She needed to figure out a way to activate the Mirror's powers. Truth dispelled lies, uncovered secrets, and freed people from burdens. She just needed to word her question right.

"Show us what was put in our friends, without their consent." The Mirror reacted differently than before. Instead of heat, it was freezing cold. A burst of icy light shined on the griffins, which revealed a tracking chip embedded in both griffins' rumps, and they were transmitting.

The Mirror deactivated and everyone fell back a few steps. The Mirror of Truth was a powerful artifact indeed. Isra swayed a few seconds before stuffing the symbol back into her backpack.

Tracking devices, they wanted us to rescue the griffins and take them back to the Waystation. To find its location so they could raze it to the ground. We have to disable the devices somehow. "Anyone got an idea of how we can get the tracking devices to turn off for a bit or perhaps forever?"

Meg offered again to cut the devices out and once again was shot down. Neither Calypso nor Apollo could sing in a pitch that would destabilize the devices. Quieta's face scrunched up as she tried to think of an idea.

Isra looked at the griffins again. I wonder if we can generate an EMP. A small localized one, might take out the trackers. She tapped her feet trying to figure out something. "Does anyone know how we can make an ESD?"

"I'm not familiar with that term," Calypso admitted. The others also looked a bit clueless. Apparently being a student of life sciences came in handy.

Isra explained that an ESD, (Electrostatic Discharge), is the sudden flow of electricity between two electrically charged objects caused by contact, an electrical short, or dielectric breakdown.

They could happen naturally or be man-made. Natural occurring ones happened all the time, such as when you walked across a rug really fast or rubbed a balloon on a sweater. Man-made ones used sparks to create the disruption between the electrons, like spark plugs or Tesla coils.

"If we can produce a strong enough ESD, we can disable the tracking devices without trying to cut them out."

"It's a good idea. You know how you're going to pull this off?" Meg asked. She was rubbing her shoes across the grass, trying to make some static electricity. It was a good idea, but to small of a scale. The charge had to be big enough to short the devices, but at the same time not hurt the griffins.

"It would be a nice time for Zeus to hurl one of his lightning bolts on us," Apollo moaned.

Isra snapped her fingers in delight. Lightning was the biggest natural spark! Hurrying over to the griffins, she whispered something in their ears and used her hands to demonstrate her plan to them.

With a loving screech, the two griffins launched themselves back into the sky, climbing higher and higher before darting in and out of the clouds. The faster they went, the bigger the static electricity grew.

The clouds started to get darker. There was the slight smell of ozone forming. Just then, there was a spark of light in the clouds above. Abelard and Heloise came back down, there rumps smoking a tiny bit. A swat from their tails cleared the smoke away.

Abelard nuzzled his mate, who was starting to look even more exhausted. Both griffins waited patiently as Isra checked them over. It seemed the electric discharge worked, the trackers were no longer transmitting.

"We can go now. The transmitters are disabled. Abelard, do you still have enough strength for three people?" The male nodded his majestic head.

Heloise nudged Isra, asking her to get on her back. Mama griffins are tough, especially when it came to getting back to a safe place for her egg. The teen helped Quieta get back on Heloise.

Once everyone was safely secured, the griffins launched themselves back into the air. They were flying a bit slower than before, having used up a lot of energy to create the electrical discharge.

As they traveled towards the Waystation, everyone kept a sharp eye out for aerial attacks. Commodus was an attention seeking emperor. He would love to spot the group in the sky and shoot them down for fun.

I hope the Mist is strong enough to hide us. We're all drained from this rescue and the griffins are nowhere near strong enough for another fight Isra thought to herself.

She tightened her grip on Heloise's scruff and tightened her legs around her body a little. Heloise tilted her head back, giving her a relaxing bird smile. The mother to be understood being scared at time like this.

* * *

The Waystation came into view, the mating pair circled Union Station twice before entering through their roof access and into their nests The small group dismounted, giving reassuring pats to let the two of them they were safe.

"It's about time you got back. We were getting worried about you. Oh my! What happened and who are _you two?_ " Leo asked as he and Josephine came to check how the group was doing.

The sight of two new girls temporarily distracted him from noticing his girlfriend was teetering on her feet. Her hair hung limp and her eyes seemed to be dulling. She panted a little and gave a lopsided smile to her boyfriend.

Leo grabbed her arms to steady her. "Whoa _mamacita,"_ he said. "Are you okay?"

She blinked sleepily. "I'm fine. Don't fuss. And don't call me…"

She crumbled against Leo, who struggled to keep her upright.

He glared at Apollo. "What did you do to her?"

"Not a thing!" the former god protested. "I believe Calypso performed some magic."

As he and Meg told the duo what happened at the zoo, Quieta tugged on Leo's sleeve. He opened her mouth to ask her a question, but she handed him her notepad.

He read the message. "Over extended herself? You mean using magic caused this? But, that's never happened before."

Isra pointed out Calypso was mortal now, so her new body wasn't use to channeling that much power. Josephine told them to get Calypso to the infirmary, while she stayed with the griffins to help them settle back in. Together the trio managed to get Calypso down from the nest so the two teen girls could take her to the infirmary to get her checked out.

"Steady, even with the Waystation making it easy to get to the infirmary, we need to be careful," Isra warned Quieta, who nodded.

Arriving in the infirmary, Emmie was already preparing to treat her patient. "Oh dear, magic exhaustion. She'll need to be treated swiftly. How long ago did she perform magic?"

"About twenty minutes ago, we gave her an energy drink, which helped for a while, but it wore off quickly."

Emmie nodded and started talking Calypso vitals. Her blood pressure and pulse were a little lower than normal. She was breathing alright and her temperature was normal. Color was reappearing in her face.

Calypso shivered a little, Quieta got a blanket for her to keep warm. Emmie continued her exam. "Reflexes are little slower, but within a normal range. She needs some fluids and something to keep her energy levels up."

"Do you have any licorice root or panax ginseng tea?" Isra asked. Emmie nodded and pointed to a small medicine cabinet in the back of the infirmary. "I'll get the snack ready and we can feed it to her slowly. It should help her."

Walking over to the cabinet, she pulled out what she was looking for. Cutting the licorice root to small pieces was easy, but she had never brewed tea before so that was a challenge for her.

Finishing the task, she maneuvered her way back to Calypso. Emmie was rubbing a potion over Calypso previously broken foot and hand as precaution in case the use of magic hand undone the healing.

Quieta had gotten two seats so the girls could sit by the former Titaness. They propped Calypso up and pressed the tea to her lips, letting her swallow a few drops of the drink. An unconscious person could swallow, as long as it was very tiny amount. They would have to wait until she woke up to give her the food.

* * *

A little while later, Agamethus appeared in the infirmary. Quieta was shocked by him being headless and fainted to the floor.

"Quieta!" Isra shouted in panic. She slid off her chair to the ground and felt for the girl's pulse. It was there and a little rapid.

"She's just was startled by Agamethus appearance is all. She'll be okay in a few minutes," Emmie assured her. The ex-Hunter picked her up as if she weighed nothing and placed her in another bed so she would be comfortable when she woke.

Isra felt a coldness pass through her. Turning her head, she saw Agamethus beckoning her to follow him. Hesitating for a few seconds, she followed him. He floated through the halls going down corridors she had never knew about. Above her head, the lights flickered.

She saw doors that popped open revealing; storage closest, sitting rooms, and a surprisingly, a panic room. Why a magical building needed a panic room was beyond her knowledge.

Agamethus kept a steady floating pace as they entered a narrow corridor, which had a single door at the end with a rusty knob. Unlike the other doors, this one did not pop open.

The ghost passed through the door. A few seconds later, the rusty knob squealed as it turned over and the door swung open slowly. It was pitch black ahead of her, the only light being Agamethus himself.

Hesitatingly, Isra followed and stopped a second before she pitched down a flight of steps. Feeling around, she grabbed the rail and slowly descended down the staircase.

Her heart was starting to beat fast. There was no light at all for her eyes to adjust, so all she kept seeing was darkness. Her breathing increased as her footsteps echoed as she continued to descend. A noxious smell filled her nose, causing her to gag and spit. It smelled week old garbage and swamp gas. She took a big breath and held it as she finished climbing down the stairs.

Agamethus glowing body was fading, making Isra very frightened. She trembled trying to keep calm. She screeched when she heard a roar only to realize the room was lighting up thanks to some torches.

She had to blink several times to see properly. What she saw was unbelievable. The room resembled the treasure chamber of King Hyrieus, the one from the "myth" about Agamethus and Trophonius. There was even the escape tunnel.

The ghost was lying in the tunnel sadly. Walking closer she realized that there was a wax head at the top of the tunnel. "Was this what you look like before your head was cut off?"

Agamethus nodded and spread his arms wide, indicating this room, was _his._ This is where he resided when he wasn't upstairs helping in the Waystation. Why would he recreate the place where he died?

"I don't understand. Why did you bring me here?"

He tossed her his magic eight ball. Flipping it over, she read the dice. _"Penance for my crime. The place I dishonored my father, King Erginus. The last place my brother was seen alive."_

"Why did you try to steal treasure, when you already had money for building the chamber?"

Agamethus pointed to the fake treasure that lined one wall and raised his arms above his head. He was telling her that the two brothers got greedy and wanted to have more gold and recognition.

He lowered his arms and his body deflated. While he didn't have a head, it was obvious by his body language he regretted his choice. He held out his hand for the eight ball and Isra tossed it to him.

He shook it extra hard and tossed it back to her. Flipping it over she saw the longest message he had ever said.

 _My death led to my brother's never ending pain. We are tied together by our crime. I have repented and accepted the truth. I am sorry for my misdeeds. Trophonius is still angry and blames others. He must find peace or others will continue to suffer from his bad intentions._

Peace? From what I was told about the Dark Oracle, it's been dangerous since its conception because of Trophonius disappearing through a crevice into the cave system below.

"I don't know how to bring peace to demigod oracle filled with hate and anger. At least four millennium have passed, and he hasn't forgiven Apollo for what happened. Why do you think I can get through to him?" she asked, holding the magic eight ball in her hands.

The ghost flashed different shades of orange before mimicking holding a mirror. He pinched his fingers over and over like his hand was talking.

The truth shall set you free. He wants to use the Mirror of Truth to give his brother peace. But, if all he wanted was for Trophonius to realize the truth, why didn't he ask my mom?

The truth hit her like a dart to a bull's eye. "My mom is technically a spirit goddess, but still a goddess. He won't listen to someone with a drip of ichor in their veins, but since I am a normal human, you think he would listen to me. That's why you snuck my mom's symbol into my backpack!"

Seeing the ghost return to his normal shade of orange, she knew she had guessed right. She understood why he took her mom's symbol, as a ghost he was free of the ancient laws about stealing artifacts, but he'd been extremely reckless giving it to her knowing she hadn't been trained to use it.

She walked over and carefully placed the eight ball in his ethereal hands. She knelt down as her right hand hovered just above his shoulder. Her left hand hovered his knee.

"I sympathizes with you and the pain you and your brother have suffered give or take four thousand years. I'll try my best to help. Just don't get your expectations high alright?"

The ghost glowed a bright orange, before floating back towards the stairs. With a last look at the treasure tomb, the petite girl hastened up the stairs and back to the welcoming light of the Waystation.

* * *

Back upstairs, she arrived in the main hall, where Quieta was busy cleaning up the area. Up in the loft, Apollo was serenading Heloise to help her lay her egg. Currently he was singing a song by Adele. The griffin liked it, but everyone else in the room didn't enjoy it much.

Quieta wrote something in her notepad and handed it over. _Calypso is resting comfortably. She woke up enough to eat the snack before going back to sleep. I thought I help tidy up._

"That's very nice of you. I'll help you out." Isra started sweeping the floor while Quieta dusted the area. After a few minutes, she looked over at her friend. "I know we skipped school to help out, but don't you think you should let your parents know you're okay?"

After a quick scribble, Quieta held up her reply. _Parents out of town at a conference for helping improve the quality of life for disabled people. My mom is deaf and my dad is paralyzed from the waist down._

 _In fact, my parents met Hesykhia at one of these conferences. My godmother splits her time between helping the deaf and mute and dealing with noise pollution. I think it's a great way to use her skills._

"If you're mother's deaf, don't you know sign language or read lips?"

Quieta nodded her head at sign language before writing something else on her pad. _At home or deaf community events, I use sign language. At school, I'm allowed to use my cellphone to speak for me. I have found though, it's easier for people to understand me, if I write my thoughts down._

"I guess whatever makes you comfortable." The other girl smiled and they resumed their work, wincing once and awhile to Apollo singing.

After sweeping, Isra couldn't handle the music in the room. She wanted to have a variety of music and she knew something about Heloise that no one else knew. Heloise favorite songs were from movies or TV shows about lions and eagles.

She snuck over to her family car and switched on the stereo. Connecting her music player, she turned it on with a mischief grin. It took a few seconds for the connection to be made and then the music started playing loudly. Apollo fell over in the nest as he was bombarded by a song from Disney's Lion Guard, "Kwetu Ni Kwetu."

We gotta stand strong/ All four paws on the ground/ So everyone knows/ We won't be pushed around.

You might have doubts/ We got it deep within/ No matter the odds/ I know that we can win.

And if they try to push us out/Here is what we'll say.

Kwetu Ni Kwetu/Home is where we'll stay/Kwetu Ni Kwetu/ We won't run away.

When we stand together/There's no need to roam/Kwetu Ni Kwetu/ Home is home.

So look all around/ We all know that it's our land/And this is the place/ We've gotta take a stand

And if they try to push us out/ Here is what we'll say/ Ay ay ay

Kwetu Ni Kwetu/ Home is where we'll stay/ Kwetu Ni Kwetu/ We won't run away.

When we stand together/ There's no need to roam/Kwetu Ni Kwetu/Home is home.

Yes, I know it's scary/ But some things can't be ignored/ When there's evil lurking/ It's defeat is our reward

Have courage everyone/Sing with me.

Kwetu Ni Kwetu/ Home is where we'll stay/Kwetu Ni Kwetu/We won't run away.

When we stand together /There's no need to roam/ Kwetu Ni Kwetu/Home is home/Kwetu Ni Kwetu/Home is home.

Abelard and Heloise were "singing" the tune feeling much more relaxed. Smiling, Isra cupped her hands and called up to Apollo, "She really likes music from anything regarding the Lion King franchise! She'll be a lot calmer if you sing something from that!"

"Disney? Ugh, they ruin everything with making it so ugh cute!" Apollo called back. He was disheveled from falling into the hay. "Not to mention their songs get stuck in your head." He clearly didn't enjoy music from Disney.

Isra shrugged her shoulders. Animals liked certain music and there was no changing their mind. "Her favorite songs are: Can You Feel the Love Tonight, Love Will Find a Way, That's All I Need, along with, Your Hero Inside. I can que those up if you want."

The mortal god gave a big sigh and told her to find the instrumental background and bring up the lyrics. He was in no mood to be pecked to death, by an upset mother to be.

* * *

As the next couple hours passed by, everyone was busy with their own tasks. Josephine was making a tracking device for tomorrow's mission to sneak into Commodus's palace. Calypso and Leo were helping to make dinner and talking quietly to Emmie.

Meg was up in the green houses making the vegetables grow healthy. Quieta was somewhere in the Waystation cleaning windows. Aletheia, still hadn't made an appearance yet, but Isra knew soon her mom would appear and give her a lecture about the dangerous situation she put herself in earlier.

Until then, Isra was keeping busy as she could, trying to not think about what her punishment would be. So far, she had cleaned the cow patties up and taken them to the green house to become fertilizer, vacuumed any room with carpets, and taken out the trash to a nearby dumpster.

Now she was heading up into the griffins' nest, bringing some water for Heloise to drink. She looked so tired and her fur was starting to get soaked in sweat. Judging by Abelard's behavior, Heloise might lay that egg any minute.

Isra scooched over and tilted the bowl of water towards Heloise's open beak. The griffin snapped her beak shut and started to bear down. She struggled and pushed, over and over, until finally a beautiful jeweled egg lay in the nest.

Both parents curled around the egg and tenderly nuzzled it. Both of them seemed very happy. Isra turned to head down the ladder, when Abelard gently put his beak around her arm and guided her back to the egg.

"You want me to make sure it's healthy?" Being a bird watcher and her interests in life sciences, she could give the egg a full checkup. She asked Apollo if he could bring her the medical bag marked griffon from downstairs.

Pouting slightly, he did as she asked. As he handed it to her he said, "I can perform the checkup myself. I am the god of healing you know." He waggled his eyebrows in an attempt to make her give in.

"Do you know anything about birds or mythical creature's medical needs?" Apollo squirmed a little.

"I know a lot, but Artemis is the expert in animals. She knows about all mythical creatures and how to treat their wounds."

Isra asked him to be her assistant so they could get the checkup done quicker, so the parents could rest after such a long day. The first thing they did was to check the size and weight of the egg. It was within normal parameters.

Next, she wrapped a special thermometer around the egg testing the temperature. While she was doing that, she asked Apollo to shine a specialized flashlight on the egg. Both tests showed the egg was warm enough and that the baby was developing just right.

The last tests they performed were to check thickness of the shell and to ensure air was getting through the tiny holes so the developing chick was able to breathe.

"According to these tests, the egg is healthy and the chick is strong. It should hatch in about a month or so," Apollo commented after reviewing the test results.

Heloise gave both of them a griffin grin and settled down around her egg to keep it warm. After a quick reminder to Abelard to rotate the egg every few hours, the former god and Isra climbed down to give the family a little peace and quiet.

* * *

Isra could feel the mortal god looking at her before he switched his gaze to the others. His lips thinned and for a few minutes, he seemed lost in thought. After a minute he shook his head and uttered something under his breath.

"Pardon me?"

"I don't understand why suddenly everyone I know seems to enjoy just being human. It doesn't make sense to me." He pointed to Emmie and Josephine. "I made Emmie a minor goddess and Josephine was a Hunter, both gave that up to grow old."

Next he pointed to Calypso and Leo. "Calypso gave up her immortality and abilities to start a relationship with Leo. I admit he's a clever demigod, but his life will be very short, it's just the way it is with demigods."

He then indicated Quieta, who was just sitting and listening to the world around her. "A very minor D list goddess gave a blessing, which seems more like a curse to me, to an ordinary child. She also had the nerve to become a godparent to a human. Doing that is not normal behavior from a immortal being.

Recently, Hera and Hestia, have vetted interest in twelve normal kids. They chose random kids, who according to them, best represents their domains, to become their Champions and Acolytes. I met them and I still have trouble understanding why Hera and Hestia care so much about them."

Lastly, he waved his hand up and down to indicate Isra. "Aletheia, turned her back on living in Olympus, the greatest place on Earth, to live among mortals and adopt you as a daughter, when she's perfectly capable of having her own children. It just doesn't make sense to me," He told her as he rubbed his hands against his head.

A former immortal god, who had so much power and responsibility is complaining about humans and minor gods interacting? He really is a selfish, self-centered, lazy person.

How is it he doesn't understand the goodness in most humans? Can he not see the beauty of the world and listen to sounds of the Earth? Does he not understand that having a purpose and working towards it, help shape us into who we truly are? That we learn something from our mistakes?

He says he loves everything that he's the god of and the people who worship him, the very people who give him life. Ye,t he is unable to believe that their hardships have a more lasting effect then his current situation? No wonder Mom has to be here.

"Perhaps your perspective is the problem. You are or were a god. You have always been immortal and believed that your punishments were correct, such as when you killed Niobe's kids over a slight," she said, as she pointed to him.

Then she pointed to herself. "From a human standpoint, what you did was wrong and cruel. Niobe was the one who bragged about having more children than your mother. But instead of punishing her, you killed twelve kids, who had done nothing wrong, just to make her suffer."

"She deserved it! She shouldn't have said what she said!"

"Why? Because she was bragging? People brag all the time, but no one kills them over it!" Isra emphasized. She poked the mortal god in the stomach before continuing. "There are other ways of dealing with someone who's bragging. You can explain why it's wrong, set a good example of why they should be humble. Heck, you could even teach someone to recognize when they're bragging so they'll stop. Human parents teach this to their children every day.

From your standpoint, human's bragging is an insult, but its okay for you to brag about yourself because you're a god. That's hypocritical and is wrong. Perhaps the daemons understood this concept and chose to learn not to be so selfish.

I think the reason my mom and I were called to here, was to help teach you to face the truth about yourself. Until you learn that lesson, your perspective about being human, will always be skewed."

Leaving Apollo to contemplate her words, she head towards her mom's office. It was time to face the consequences of her own actions.


	5. Loyalty

Isra found her mom waiting for her in her office. Aletheia had a crossed look on her face and sat in her office chair ram rod straight. Isra took the Mirror out of her backpack and laid it down on her mother's desk. She pulled up a seat and waited.

"I'm very disappointed and upset with you. You skipped school! You endangered a civilian and went on a quest without permission. You could have been killed at any time and you took my Mirror."

"For the record," Isra interjected as she pointed to the symbol, "Agamethus put that in my backpack without my knowledge."

Aletheia blinked her eyes, a verification she knew what Isra had said was true. I'm going to give that ghost a piece of my mind. "Alright that one wasn't your fault. Truthfully, the fault ultimately lies with me."

Picking up the Mirror of Truth, she looked at her reflection before turning her attention back to her little rainbow. "I promised to teach you how to use my Mirror and I haven't. I also taught you to do the right thing and help people, which is what you were doing."

She loosened her grip on her symbol. "I don't like the fact that you skipped school, but from what the Waystation has told me, if you hadn't, this place would have been located."

Isra smiled at this, but knew she was still in a lot of trouble. Skipping school was serious and her mom had done her best to keep her safe, since they both had to move here to help in the dangerous situation. She couldn't blame her for being protective.

While Isra starred down at the floor, waiting to hear what her punishment was to be, her mother activated the Mirror. She watched the events that happened today, including what Agamethus asked of Isra.

The goddess suppressed a shudder. Back in the old days she had witnessed several petitioners going to the different Oracles, each having their own positive and negative experiences. The Cave of Trophonius was known as the Dark Oracle for a reason.

Purifying Trophonius could save countless lives, maybe even free his soul so both brothers could finally find rest. I know Isra is more than capable of the task. It is not often you find a mortal with no divine blood or blessing who can handle a god's symbol of power, but she can.

I also want to see if my hypothesis about why the griffins respond to her so well is true. If it's what I suspect, then we might have an ace in our sleeve when it comes down to the confrontation between us and Commodus the goddess thought to herself.

"You have the potential to be an equal to a blessed human, while at the same time, come to an understanding about the lives of demigods and gods/goddesses," Aletheia explained to her daughter as she tilted her chin up.

Isra looked up at her with hope in her eyes. Her mother ruffled her hair then added, "Your ancestors Isra, they were great and powerful people. The best traits of them, live on in you. Continuing to embrace your heritage will help you become a better person."

Isra smiled, pleased by the praise she was getting from her mom. Since they moved here, the girl had wondered if she had a place in this new life. Being an older sister figure to Georgina was fun, however, she wanted to shine under her own spotlight.

"Do you really believe that Mom? That I have potential to become something more than I am now?"

"Yes, I do. It will take many years to reach your full potential. Seeing as we don't have that kind of time. I think its best we start with the basics and move our way up."

* * *

Picking up the Mirror, Aletheia showed Isra that engraving on the back. Her daughter couldn't read ancient Greek so she translated what had been written. "Truth frees the soul. An appropriate moniker for my duty. The power of truth can be used for both good and evil, depending on what it is and who is saying it."

Isra nodded following along so far. She also knew that the timing of revealing truth was also important. Sounding sincere and kind made sure people listened to what you had to say. The most important part of using the truth was how you delivered it.

"The tone of your voice is very important. If you are boisterous your message can become construed. Antagonism causes defensiveness which means no one will listen to you. If you speak in sorrow or despair, people will have two different reactions," Aletheia explained, remembering the times she had failed at her task.

She turned the Mirror slightly. It lit up allowing Isra to view events her mother describe. There was a clip of her at a trial on Mount Olympus, informing Zeus about a minor god's innocence. Looking at the King of the Gods facial expression, he was confused by what she was telling him.

Another image showed her mother, in one of her past lives. Isra couldn't tell precisely when the event was taking place, but if she had to guess it was maybe two hundred and fifty years ago.

Her mom was in a parlor of someone's house, talking with another lady. The woman were arguing about something about their husbands. Aletheia was speaking about the other lady's husband behavior and his wife didn't like it.

The image swiftly changed to show Aletheia talking to a police officer in another time and place, crying hard. The police officer had no interest in what she was saying.

The images stopped playing and the Mirror dimmed becoming dormant once more. "Using the Mirror requires patience, absolute focus, and a strong will." Aletheia traced the handle fondly before gesturing her daughter to follow her.

They went down a hall and a door to a practice room opened up. There were open spaces, mats on the floor, and even a small stage. Demigods could use this room to safely gain control their powers, without worrying about hurting someone.

Before they started training, Isra had to put on special gloves to protect her hands from the flow of power. A small regular hand mirror appeared on a training bench. Isra picked that one up and held it up above her head. Her mother shook her head saying her stance was all wrong. First, Isra needed to a firm stance to stay in place, but keep her posture relaxed if she had to move.

The Goddess of Truth adjusted Isra fingers. Her dominant hand should grip the handle, but have a tiny space between each finger. The thumb needed to angle slightly down and keep a solid hold on the handle. Isra asked if the handle was long enough, should she wrap both hands around it. A proper grip was vital to ensure that the magical mirror wasn't destroyed by accidentally dropping it.

Anticipating her child's next question, Aletheia told her it depended on the circumstances and how much power was being used. "Remember, you have to be aware of your surroundings at all times. A mirror can be used in many ways. Can you name a few?"

Isra used her left hand to count the possibilities off. The uses of a mirror included sending messages, starting a fire, and help in scouting. You could trick an enemy or read something just out of reach. Most importantly, a mirror had to ability to be both a shield and a weapon at the same time. Her mother was pleased by these answers.

"Correct. Mirrors serve multiple functions and it is important to remember all of them when you need to resourceful and improvise. Let's go through a few drills to help you get comfortable using a mirror in different ways."

Aletheia was a very patient parent and teacher. She demonstrated each drill several times, going slow and steady. If Isra rushed one part, Aletheia would click her tongue and gently reminded her child of the importance of careful and precise movements.

They ran drills together for an hour and a half. After Isra's performance met her mother's standards, she took a small break, taking a large sip of water. "My hands are really hurting, even with the protective gloves."

"We'll probably have to bandage them again. Do you wish to stop?" Aletheia asked in concern. She was a mother first and a goddess second after all.

The teen shook her head. "No, not yet. If I'm going to fulfill my promise to Agamethus, I need to push myself."

"Alright, but first lets tend to your injuries." Isra took her protective gloves off and sat down on the bench. Her mother gently unwrapped the bandages, her daughter winced at a sudden flare up. Her hands looked a tiny bit better than before.

Reaching into her pocket, Aletheia pulled out a potion she had summoned from the infirmary. Tilting its contents onto her hands, she rubbed the potion over the injured hands. The injury was reduced even further.

Instead of regular bandages, Isra's mother wrapped her hands with glowing golden bandages. They sent a tingling sensation through Isra's body, dulling the pain so much she could barely feel it.

"What kind of bandages are these?"

"An invention of Apollo's. Honestly, I doubt he even remembers making the nectar and ambrosia bandages." Seeing her daughter's frightened expression, because of the possibility of her exploding, the goddess calmed her down.

"Quieta explained about your aura right?" Aletheia gently asked her daughter, who nodded. The Goddess of Truth, finished wrapping the bandages. "You have lived with me your whole life, some of my energy has soaked into your body. You can tolerate the minimum amount of nectar and ambrosia in the bandages, but they should be used sparingly," she finished as she tapped Isra's nose.

An aura which makes people want to tell the truth and a body that can tolerate minimal amount of godly food and drink. On top of that, I have the potential to handle a goddess's symbol? What else am I capable of?

"Mom?" she queried tentatively, "How does your Mirror of Truth work?" It was not the question she really wanted to ask, but her tongue felt too tied up to speak her real question.

Aletheia chuckled slightly. She told the story of how her father Prometheus had used divine material to craft a mirror for her as a gift. Using his gift of foresight, he endowed the material to always reflect the truth of a situation.

The key to using the Mirror was a combination of words and will power. As long as you asked a question or phrased a request, to help reveal the truth, her symbol would react.

A strong will was also needed. Revealing the truth and withstanding the repercussions of reveal it, a person had to be able to endure it and not let it break them in either spirit or mind.

More importantly, the greater the truth, the stronger the power used to reveal it. Since the Mirror of Truth could only reveal one truth at a time and lost some of its power when used repeatedly in a short period, the user could exhaust themselves to the point of falling into a coma.

Aletheia told a story of when she lent her symbol to her good friend Dike, The Goddess of Justice, to assist her during a particular hard day at work. In turn, Aletheia was given permission to borrow Dike's magical scales. Both had wanted to see if the items would work with a similar personification goddess.

It didn't work out well. Dike's scales couldn't withstand the weight of truth and lies. When the weight became too much the scales released all the lies and truth into the wrong mortals. A riot had broken out and it had taken help from her opposite, Pseudologoi, to bring it to an end.

Meanwhile, the Mirror of Truth, had exposed too many people's secrets until it was impossible to decide what justice would be for the parties. Not wanting to let her father Zeus find out the mess she had created, Dike had approached her opposite Adikia, Goddess of Injustice and daughter of Nyx, to help her fix the situation before the top god learned what happened.

The two goddesses learned their lesson. Never use another one's symbol to carry out their duties, even if their domains were similar to your own. There was a reason personification spirits had their own roles to take care of on their own.

Aletheia took the practice mirror from Isra, and had her hold the Mirror of Truth again. The goddess drained some of its power from the symbol, so if it did hurt her little rainbow again, it would be so severely.

"Ask it a simple question in a calm voice. You don't want to do anything to powerful."

"Is Quieta trying to become my friend or use me for a reason?" The Mirror of Truth warmed up and the image in the glass changed. In the image, she watched Quieta tapping her pad, watching her in chemistry. On the pad were several cross out words that appeared to be the start of a conversation.

The mirror dimmed and the warmth vanished. It had been a very brief response and there hadn't been a clear answer. "I don't understand, what does it mean?"

"You saw Quieta trying to write a conversation starter with you in chemistry class. The answer is a bit ambiguous I admit. What did you feel when you saw the image?"

"I felt warmth and happiness."

"Then there's your answer. Quieta wants to be your friend. Training is over for tonight. Get some sleep, you'll need it if you're to help with tomorrow's mission."

* * *

The next day at first light, the group of five, (Quieta had argued her way into coming), headed out to complete their mission. To infiltrate Commodes palace, liberate Georgina, and secure the Throne of Memory, all without dying in the process. Leo, Meg, and Apollo were paddling up in the canal in a pedal boat.

Isra and Quieta, had liberated two bikes from the rental station, as the coasted along the Canal Walkway path. While the boat group looked for the hidden grate, the bikers could keep an eye out for danger from above.

The girls had also been given weapons to defend themselves with. Quieta had been given a purple tessen, (a folding fan with iron spokes) to use. They were a relatively quiet weapon and easy to hide. Luckily, Quieta knew the art of tessenjutsu, which was shocking.

Isra not only carried, the Mirror of Truth in her backpack, but dangling from her neck was bronze whistle shaped like a griffin. Isra wasn't sure what it was for, but Aletheia told her to use it in a desperate situation and help would arrive.

They had been biking for a little bit when Quieta snapped her fingers. The girls put on the brakes, and looked down in the canal. Their eyes got really big as they could make out a long green serpentine body moving through the water.

The paddle boat was near the head section. They could see the monster's opening its mouth as it aimed for the paddle boat. "LOOK OUT!" the teen screamed just a monstrous green and brown sea monster erupted, tossing the boat team into the water and crushing the boat to splinters with its coils.

The monster's triangle forehead was wide enough to provide parking for a compact car. Its eyes glowed as orange as Agamethus ghostly pallor. With its jaws open the air smelled like a thousand pound fish haul left out in the sun for a week.

In the water below, Meg avoided the snapping jaws of the Carthaginian Serpent and thrust one sword through its left eye. The creature cried out in pain and struck the walkway sending the humans tumbling down to edge of the water.

Their bikes hit the creature's long body. The Carthaginian Serpent ignored it and snapped at Leo, what had found the hidden grate to get into Commodus palace. The demigod was too focused on his task to notice.

Without hesitation, Quieta hurled her tessen at the Serpents head. It cut the pit sensors, damaging the creature's ability to sense heat of the demigod. The two humans had to jump out of the way as the head snapped at both them again and again.

In the canal, Apollo and Meg dived under the water and resurfaced on the other side. The Serpent hissed and flicked its tail, causing a massive wave of water to flood over the group.

Isra felt herself slipping away as the current carried her away. Someone snatched her hand, holding her hand tightly. Her lungs begged for fresh air. Kicking upward, she broke the surface, gasping.

The person who had saved her was Leo, who had one hand still wrapped around the grate. After he spat out some water, he also took a big gulp of air. "I need your help _chica_ , I can't do this by myself." He was pointing at the grate which only a little bit removed.

The teen climbed up a little to help keep the grate in place while Leo tried to finish opening it. Behind them, the Serpent had Meg in its coils. Quieta was attempting to free the girl, but her fan wasn't helping. The creature shifted and then coiled around Quieta, just as the grate opened.

"Got it!" Leo shouted happily. He turned around and saw the two girls being constricted to death. "Not on my watch!" He thrust his hands out, but instead of fire he just steamed the air.

"Do something Apollo!" Isra snapped. The mortal god shouted for her and Leo to enter the tunnel. Confused, they did what they were told. A few seconds later a loud baritone voice triggered a concrete slide from the new condos above the canal.

A condo started to collapse on the Serpent, who was thrashing around, damaging the canal. Apollo was dragging the two girls to the tunnel. The grate was starting to close.

Instinctively, Isra grabbed one side of the grate, pulling as hard as she could to keep it from shutting. Leo was doing the same thing, hoping the others would get through before it closed.

As the last bit of the condo landed in the canal, the trio managed to slip into the tunnel just as the grate snapped shut. One piece of the condo landed next to the grate, sending another wave, pushing the group down the sewage system. As they were carried away, they could hear the Serpent trying to bust the grate open with its head.

The group tumbled through the water and knocked up against the pipes, creating bruises. The cold water was rapidly draining the warmth from their bodies. Out of the corner of her eye, Isra saw a small service platform.

"Swim towards the platform!" she coughed out. Ignoring the pain and coldness, the teenager maneuvered through the water until she managed to grab the platform. The others managed to get to the platform where they were all cold and soaking wet.

Everyone shivered on the platform. It took Leo three tries to get his skin to sputtered and set him on fire. "Gather around, children." His grin looked diabolical with orange fire washing across his face. "Nothing like a blazing-hot Leo to warm you up!"

"Id...Idi…idiot," Apollo managed to get out his clacking jaws.

Quieta, somehow drew a dry memo pad out of her pocket, and wrote a thank you to the mortal god for saving her life.

"If I knew my life had to be in danger to get you to use your godly strength, I would have thrown myself in danger more often," Meg joked weakly.

Leo shut off the fire, not that everyone was dry. "Guess we have to go back in the cold water, if we want to reach Commodus throne room."

"Wait, I think I have something that could help keep us warm, in my backpack." Isra rummaged around for a few seconds, then pulled out a vacuum sealed package. Opening it, five float coats fluffed up.

The float coats were heavily insulated to keep the water out. The material also stretched enough if a person wanted to use the H.E.L.P. floatation position. "You won't believe what you can find in the Waystation's emergency supply room."

* * *

Once suited up, the five of them got back into the water and trudged through the current to get to the end. As they moved, they saw all sorts of objects floating through the water. Tape measures, paper cups, and cans. It would be nice if the Roman Goddess of the Sewers, Cloacina, would show up to clean the sewer system for the whole city.

Eventually, they arrived at another grate. Before he opened it, Leo asked Quieta if she could silence all sound for next ten to fifteen minutes. The girl nodded and waved her hands, deafening everything around them. Even their voices were muted.

The grate swung open a minute later and they all ducked down as they entered the throne room. Slowly, they inched forward, going through the channel towards the far side. The water appeared to go through the channel and then filled up a water arena at the end. Gladiator sports in water was twice as dangerous and more entertaining for the emperor.

Apollo, risked a peek over the channel wall, when they were about five feet from the far edge. The second he did he whipped his head down and mouthed the word, "Commodus", to them.

Everyone stopped and pressed themselves against the wall. All the girls started breathing very quietly and Leo resisted using his fire powers to heat the water. With their ears to the wall, they could hear the New Hercules addressing Lityerses.

"Have you found the Waystation prefect? Because it would be helpful to know where my enemies are hidden!"

Bowing respectively, the Corn Husker replied in a humble voice. "My trackers in the griffins malfunctioned, but my spotters were able to track them back to the Waystation."

Commodus grunted. "Yes, yes. Old Union Station. But Cleander searched the plaza many times before and found nothing."

"The Waystation is there," Lityerses insisted. "My spotters do not lie. The place must be protected by magic, but it won't withstand up to a fleet of blemmyae bulldozers."

Commodus whined unhappily. "Fine. Yes. But I want Apollo brought to me in chains! The naming ceremony is tomorrow. Our dress rehearsal, is, like, _right now._ When can we have the Waystation destroyed?"

The Corn Husker hesitated for a few moments. "Two days. We need to scout the defenses and gather an army."

"TWO DAYS? I'm not asking you to cross the Alps. I want it to happen now!"

"Then we'll be ready by tomorrow morning."

"Very well son of Midas, but if you don't deliver-" A loud blaring alarm chose that moment to go off, signaling there was an incursion at the front gates. Lityerses led the guards to the front gate to handle the situation.

One of Commodus assistants told him it was time to find the right outfit for the dress rehearsal. "They better be great! I don't want to look like a fool when I kill everyone, including my boring prefect, tomorrow when I rename the city!"

* * *

The hidden group waited patiently until they were sure the throne room was empty. They finished crossing the channel and got out of the water on the other side. At that moment, Quieta's ability wore off as they listened to the drops of water hitting the floor.

"We need to warn Emmie and Josephine about the attack. I can't believe I didn't notice bird watchers scanning the sky. Of all people, I should have picked up on that," Isra moaned.

"Hey, it's not your fault _chica._ If you hadn't helped destroyed the tracking devices, they might have figured out where the Waystation was earlier."

Meg jerked her thumb at Leo stating he was right. There would be plenty of time to warn the ex-Hunters, after the retrieved the Throne of Memory and rescued Georgina.

"Then lets continue our search and avoid being bludgeoned to death," Apollo mentioned in a shrilly tone. They reached the end of the channel with no more surprises.

Meg grew some chia seeds in her hand then followed in the direction they pointed, which was left. They started walking in that direction trying to not look at the opulent decorations.

Slate floors and walls were decorated with tapestries and high definition flat screens. All of them showed Commodus past accomplishments. Mahogany doors with copper plates labeled what Commodus used the room for.

A maid started to step out of one of the rooms ahead of them. They stilled as she got spotted them, terror in her eyes. Apollo hummed a tune making the maid go back into the room and forget she saw them.

Walking deeper and deeper in the compound, Isra started to fret they would never find Georgina or the Throne of Memory. Britomartis had promised the Hunters would back them up. How could they do that if they were captured at the front gates?

They started to round a corner when Isra got a tingling sensation. She grabbed Leo and Apollo by their shirt collars. Pressing her finger to her lips, she pulled out the Mirror.

She angled the item so the light would reflect what was around the corner. It showed a blemmyae in security clothes guarding a metal door. Which meant what was behind that door, had to be important.

Turning her head around, Isra pointed to Leo and Quieta. Using her hands, she gestured for them to go distract the guard, while Meg came up behind them, and obliterated the monster. She pointed at Apollo and mimed him picking up the ear com and speaking into it.

Quieta and Leo approached the guard, who looked unsure about why they were there. Quieta signed she was asking for directions. The guard looked at Leo confused.

"Sorry sir. My friend here can't talk and we got lost in this maze of corridors. Could you please give us some directions?"

"Of course child. This area is off limits. I'll take you to Commodus right away and he can help you two." The blemmyae gestured for them to follow him. The second he was about to turn the corner, Meg's swords cut the guy in half turning him into dust.

Apollo picked up the fallen ear com. It crackled as a voice asked, "Post twelve, please answer me."

"False alarm. Everything is hunky-dorky. Thank you."

"You're welcome," said the voice in the speaker. "Daily passcode, please."

"Why, certainly Its-" The mortal god threw the com on the floor, before stepping on it and grinding it into dust. Meg threw him a look, clearly wondering how he messed up the expression.

Leo swiftly figured out how to open the door. The five of them entered the room and gasped. There were dozens of glass cages containing prisoners. There were poles in the middle of the room to chain a person so they could be tortured or inspected before being sold.

In one cage, two emaciated boys barely clinging to life, lay on the floor. Any moment they looked as if they were lose all their skin and become a pair of skeletons.

The person in the next cell was a fifteen year old girl in gray camouflage, with stark white shoulder length hair, pacing her cell like an angry jaguar. Her body was lean and there was blood on her knuckles from trying to break the glass. She looked like a Hunter of Artemis.

Spying them, she started pounding harder on the glass begging to be let out. The other prisoners, a mix of humans, demigods, and one dracaena, weakly called out for help.

The group sprang into action liberating all the prisoners. There were no switches to open the cells, so they got creative. Leo used his fire, Meg her swords, while Quieta cut with her fan then let Isra kick the glass shattering it.

Seeing who was in the last cell, Isra gasped and dragged Quieta with her. "Georgina! Hold on we'll get you out."

The little girl was covered in food and dirt. Her hair had fallen out in some places. Her eyes darted around. She laughed hysterically .She was even trying to eat the corner of a bronze suitcase. Clearly she wasn't in her right mind.

"MEG! GET OVER HERE!"

The daughter of Demeter a door in the glass. Isra hurried over and picked up Georgina, nearly toppling over as the girl threw a fit yelling, "Death! Apollo dead."

"Georgina, it's me Isra? Remember me? I'm here to take you home."

"Home?" Georgina's face was confused like she didn't understand the meaning of the word. She giggled and looked at Apollo. "Fire, Apollo, cave."

She's gotten worse. I don't even know if she recognizes me. "We need to get Georgina home now. The only way to cure her is to get the Throne." With a determined expression she placed Georgina into Quieta's arms and asked Hunter, (the Hunter of Artemis real name!) a favor.

"Leo, Quieta, get everyone to the Waystation safely. I need to help find the Throne of Memory. Don't argue."

Leo and Quieta nodded. They all exited the prison. Leo and Quieta led the group towards the exit, while Isra joined Meg and Apollo looking for the Throne of Memory.

* * *

They walked further into the maze of doors. They passed an art gallery, cafeteria, and an infirmary. The further they went and didn't encounter anyone, made Isra tense up. Where was everyone. Could they be walking into a trap?

Meg and her slave Apollo were talking with each other. They seemed to be arguing about the location of the Throne. Finally they reached the end of a hallway. There was a large steel plate in the wall with no handle or knobs. Meg stated the Throne of Memory was in the room behind the door.

Meg slashed her swords, but they didn't even leave a scratch on it. Next she tried pry it off the hinges, but it didn't work. Apollo shoved, kicked, and said magic words trying to open the door, with no success. He even sang to the door and it wouldn't open.

"Now what do we do?" he moaned.

"May I try?" Isra asked. The other two jumped at the sound of her voice. They had clearly forgotten she was there. She approached the door and studied it, going over what she knew about steel in her mind. Good thing she came prepared.

Kneeling down, she took out a can of compressed air, work goggles and gloves, and a hammer. Putting on her safety gear, she started spraying the compressed air where a door handle would be.

Eventually, the compressed air created a thick white frost, freezing that section of the door. She positioned the hammer at the right angler and then brought it down hard.

The frozen section shattered. Reaching through the hole, she felt around, until felt the door frame. Tugging hard, the door slipped off the frame and opened revealing the high back, wooden throne, with Mount Pierus carved on it. It was the Throne of Memory.

Meg whistled loudly, once again impressed. "How did you know that would work?"

"I took life science classes at my old school."

Figuring out how to carry the Throne back proved a challenge until they went into the infirmary. With a mixture of medical and duck-tape, they managed to attach the Throne to make the world's most uncomfortable backpack for Apollo to carry the sacred furniture.

After arming Apollo with syringes filled with ammonia, the group started to head out, but Meg stopped in the middle of her tracks. She tilted her head back and then took off in the opposite direction. The two had no choice, but to follow her. They wouldn't leave anyone behind to suffer.

* * *

Eventually they ended up in a giant football stadium with a three track race course going around the field. Chained to post all over the field were wild animals. Combat ostriches, lions, and a sad looking elephant in a large football helmet.

In the stands, sat hundreds of Commodus troops. Germani raised their shields and the Cynocephali howled loudly. Rows of blemmyae clapped politely and had crooked smiles on their chest faces. Wild centaurs and Cyclopes were butting heads together. Worse, there were large crowds of human mercenaries and brainwashed demigods loyal to the Emperors jeering.

In the top box, Commodus was wearing a purple and gold racing suit. The Jumbo Tron turned on welcoming Apollo as confetti, balloons, and fireworks went off driving the crowd into a frenzy.

Isra's mind drifted off as Commodus talked with Apollo and scolded Meg. He didn't even comment on her. It was as if she was invisible. Taking advantage of that the teen tried to figure out what they could do to survive this.

We're outnumbered and outmatched in weapons. Commodus is crazy and we can't be sure what he'll do. Not to mention he is focused on his prophecy, which says only if we're all destroyed can he make the city his new capital.

Meg shouted, "Peaches!" Indeed being lowered from the ceiling was Meg's karpos friend. The crowd jumped down from the stands as the beasts were released and basket balls shot into the air, knocking out some of the monsters.

Seeing the onslaught coming their way, Isra brought the whistle to her lips and blew hard. A very loud shrill sound came out and everyone clutched their ears. The sound reached supersonic hearing and the Cynocephali howled even louder than before.

A few seconds later the sound of loud screeching could be heard. Everyone in the stadium was frozen as they watched a pack of griffins, (thirty total), tore their way in through the roof of the stadium. They all looked very angry and ready to rip something apart.

These griffins were half the size of Abelard and Heloise, but their talons were sharper and their beaks had razor edges. The paws on the back legs were huge and their claws glistened. While their wingspan was less impressive, their smaller wings made them more agile.

They descended from above, raking their talons and claws, taking out several monsters and injuring the humans. The pack circled around Isra protectively. The largest male landed in front of her and bowed.

 _"We have heard your call Princess Isra, descendant of Princess Roxane, daughter of Cyrus the Great, friend and protector of the griffins of old. I am Griff, leader of the pack. We pledge our loyalty to you. We will serve and protect you as long as you will have us,"_ the griffon told her telepathically.

Caught by surprise, Isra was at a loss of what to do. Abelard and Heloise never spoke to her telepathically or called her a princess! She would have to ask questions later, as the monsters had finally stopped staring and charged them. "Protect my friends and I. Grab the Throne of Memory and bring it back to the Waystation swiftly," she commanded.

Griff nodded and called out to his pack. A quartet of griffins carefully removed the Throne of Memory from Apollo's back and flew through the openings in the roof. They dodged all the arrows, gunfire, and clubs thrown at them, escaping. Commodes howled in rage, screaming for someone to catch the griffins and bring back the throne.

Another griffin picked up Apollo and put him on top of the elephant, whose name was Livia, according to her helmet. The griffin flanked the elephant as another one protected Meg. They both had identical shocked expressions on their faces. They couldn't believe what had just happened, but chose not to question it.

Griff knelt down, urging Isra on his back. She vacillated for a second, thinking he couldn't hold her weight, before climbing on. He pushed off the ground and the rest of the pack followed flying to the top of the ceiling.

"This can't be! No one can out do me!" Commodus shrieked at the top of his lungs. He was throwing a temper tantrum instead of commanding his troops.

"I guess I can. Griffins? Attack!" They dive bombed the emperor as the fight for their lives began.


	6. Confidence

It was chaos in the stadium as Isra flew through the air on the back of Griff, who was surprisingly very strong, for his size. Down below, a battle was taking place. Apollo and Meg were attempting to rescue Peaches, who was about to be lit on fire by Commodus, who in an attempt to regain control of the situation, was speeding down the race track in a formula one purple car, accompanied by two automatic race cars to light the match.

"Stop those race cars!" Isra commanded.

" _As you wish Princess."_ Griff called out to the rest of the pack. Receiving instructions five of them went after the race car. Apollo followed them on Livia, who was trumpeting all the way.

Four griffins, in pairs of two, tore at the two automatic race cars. Their talons and claws went through the hood destroying the engines. The cars flipped over on top of one another. For good measure they popped the tires.

The fifth one was after Commodus's race car. It had swerved out of the way of the attack and was heading straight towards Livia in a dangerous game of chicken. Inside the car, the helmet less emperor was laughing in delight.

Livia tore off the stupid helmet on her head, and chucked it. It smashed into the windshield, causing Commodus to swerve back towards the track. The wild griffin screeched, clearly trying to say no way.

It shoved its body against the car sending it swerving in the other direction. The car vaulted onto the field at an impossibly steep angle, canted sideways, flipped three times, before smashing into a wall, taking out a few gladiators.

The heroes held their breath, waiting to see if Commodus survived. Alas, a steaming figure crawled out of the wreck. The ancient emperor's beard was smoldering and he was covered in soot. Surprisingly, he looked up and had a huge grin on his face, like this was the most exciting thing that had happen to him.

"Nice one Apollo, but you can't kill me! CLEAR THE FIELD!" At once several animal wranglers, medics, another personal ran across the field, picking up everything and making it pristine. During this time, Meg managed to free Peaches and was watching to see what would happen next from the end zone.

Commodus strolled closer to Apollo, limping slightly because of his right ankle. "That was a good rehearsal! Tomorrow, more death- including yours Apollo. We'll tweak the combat phase. Perhaps add a few more race cars and more basketballs? And, Livia, you naughty elephant," he said as he wagged a finger at the pachyderm. "That's the sort of energy I was looking for! If you showed that much enthusiasm in our previous games, I wouldn't have to kill your mate Claudius!"

Livia appeared livid. She swung her trunk back and forth while stomping on the ground. Her ears flapped in agitation. Clearly, she wanted to kill Commodus and the only thing stopping her was Apollo, telling her to keep calm.

Lityerses marched forward with the Germani following him. The Cornhusker didn't look well. There was an ostrich foot shape bruise on his face, he was bleeding from several large cuts and his pants had been ripped to shreds by arrowheads.

Lityerses bowed awkwardly. "My Lord."

"What was that prefect?"

"My Lord Commodus. We have repelled the attack from the front gate. It was the Hunters of Artemis. We only lost ten men and I'm not sure how many we killed."

"So you lost my men, can't confirm any kills, and couldn't prevent their attack at my front gates? I WILL NOT TOLERATE FAILURE!" He snapped his fingers and a Germani bodyguard appeared next to him, sweating in fear.

"Alraic, take Apollo and Meg McCaffery into custody. Kill the elephant and karpos. Capture the griffin pack, strangle the girl, and take her whistle. Then hold Lityerses still so I can slice his throat."

Before any of that could happen, the roof caved inward. Falling debris injured or killed the remaining monsters and humans. Festus the dragon, came flying in and incinerated the stands, causing everyone left to panic and run. A dozen of Hunters of Artemis descended to the field via silver ropes.

Several Hunters stayed on the edges of the roof, shooting flaming arrows to keep the enemy back. As soon as the Hunters touched the ground, they revealed a variety of weapons ranging from bows to knives, before leaping into battle.

Isra, still on the back of Griff, who was holding position near the opening, saw what the Hunters were trying to do. A few aimed to kill the griffins. "Don't shoot the griffins! They're with me!"

The Hunters nodded and lowered their arrows. While a few rescued Meg and Peaches, the others were still fighting the Germani. They were being led by a girl with choppy black hair and dazzling blue eyes. Instead of the usual silver and gray gear, she wore jeans and black leather jacket with pin on it. In her hair, a silver tiara glittered.

Isra remembered Emmie telling her the tiara marked Artemis's lieutenant. This girl was in charge of the Hunters whenever she was unavailable. Branding a shield with Medusa's face on it. "Save Apollo!"

Commodus sighed exasperate by all these interruptions. He ordered Lityerses to kill his enemies, even though a second ago, he was going to murder him.

"Sire, with all due respect…"

Faster than rattlesnake strike, Commodus grabbed Lityerses by the neck and started chocking him. " _Respect?_ " he hissed into the swordsman face before spitting on. "You talk of _respect?"_

The mad emperor hurled the Cornhusker to the lower stands. As he fell, a silver arrow, shot clean through the young man's thigh, causing him to shriek in great pain. Commodus jumped down, he pulled out a long knife that had been hidden in his shoes, and got ready to slice his throat.

"NO!" Isra screamed as loud as she could. Startled, Commodus diverted his attention for a second towards her. That was the opening Livia need to pile drive the crazed man through the stands with her trunk.

Livia picked up the swordsman and gently placed him on her back. The enemy was starting to regroup and Festus flames were growing weaker. The Hunters were running out of weapons.

"Retreat!" Thalia ordered the group. The Hunters turned and started to retreat while she jumped up to join Apollo up on Livia. Lityerses slid off the elephants back because of his blood loss.

A few griffins flew in and caught him, confusing Thalia and Apollo. "We don't leave anyone behind," Isra bellowed to them. They just nodded, they would argue about it later. They took the stadiums exit. Griff called his whole pack together and they flew away leaving a very angry and bloodthirsty emperor behind.

* * *

As they headed back to the Waystation, Isra held tightly to Griff's scruff. She couldn't believe what had happened in the last two hours. Had it really only been two hours? It felt a lot longer to her. Aside from a few scrapes and still being a tad wet, she had escaped relatively unharmed.

She was secretly glad that she hadn't used her mother's symbol. Even now, it hummed in her backpack, as if it was calling out to her. Shaking her head, she looked down at the bronze whistle, still wondering how something this small, called an entire pack to her rescue.

"Griff, what do you know of this whistle? Why did it summon you and what did you mean earlier about my ancestors? For that matter, how come I can hear _your_ thoughts, but not Abelard and Heloise's?"

The beast turned his head slightly, so he could look at her with one of his golden eyes. _"You are not hearing my thoughts in your head, though it might seem that way to you. You are hearing and translating my screeches and cries. Your mind understands them instantly._

 _If I'm not mistaken, a catalyst of some kind brought a long dormant ability in your blood to the surface. All you need was some time with our kind and the gift fully unlocked."_

Isra had her suspicions about what had been the catalyst to bring about this gift. Looking down at the whistle, she could see how old it was and somehow it had stayed in pristine condition despite the millenniums it had been around.

"This whistle, you said it summoned you because I'm a descendant of Cyrus the Great, the best Persian king the empire ever had. Did he create this whistle and how has it stayed in such good shape?"

 _"Indeed Cyrus crafted this whistle after earning our trust. We brought him enchanted metals hidden from humans for centuries by guardian creatures. The whistle is comprised of bronze and aluminum, magically enchanted so it would last long and be able to be heard over larger distances than usual."_

Griff suddenly flew upward into the clouds gazing over the city. After a few minutes, he seemed satisfied as they resumed course for the Waystation. They would be arriving in a few minutes.

Griff resumed speaking. _"Cyrus only used the whistle if there was an imminent threat or to check our health. He knew we needed freedom to soar, but our loyalty would call us back. The whistle was passed down for four generations before it disappeared. Even when it was missing, our species passed down the legend so if it ever returned, we would know what to do."_

The Waystation became visible a few seconds later. The pack circled the roof for a few minutes before descending inside. Naturally, Abelard and Heloise felt threatened by the intruders screeching and swiping their paws at anyone who came close to their nest.

Griff let Isra climb off him to the ground before he approached the parents to be. He made himself as small as possible, while still displaying his impressive feathers and fur. There was a tense standoff as neither he nor Abelard wanted to show full submission.

Finally, Griff bowed to Abelard and in soft cooing explained why they were there. The two males talked privately for a few minutes. Griff then called to his pack and they slowly descended to rest on the top of the platforms. For now, they were welcomed guests.

The griffins who had been carrying Lityerses took him to the infirmary to be healed. The ones who had flown ahead rejoined the pack. Hearing screaming, Isra ran as fast as she could to the far end of the room, where Georgina was throwing a fit by refusing to sit on the Throne of Memory.

Her mother was tending too the many of the injured prisoners and warning Sssssarah to not eat all the eggs in the place. Quieta was trying to help by passing out food and drinks, along with Calypso. Leo was inside Festus fixing him up.

Lityerses was lying in a chair as the Hunters kept a sharp eye on him as one of them begrudgingly healed the swordsman. Agamethus was floating around attempting to greet people with his Magic Eight Ball.

Aletheia looked up from tending a prisoners cuts and huge smile broke out on her face. She ran to her daughter and gave her a big tight hug. "I was so worried about you. I was worried you had died," she sniffled. She kept stroking Isra's hair to make sure she was really there.

"I'm okay Mom. The group kept me relatively safe." Taking a step back, she removed the Mirror of Truth from her backpack giving it to her mother. "I think you should keep it safe for now. Mom, where did you get this?" she asked holding up the ancient whistle.

Aletheia looked at the whistle fondly. "When I adopted you, your birth parents insisted that you take a recently reclaimed family heirloom. They said it would be safe with you."

Wiping some tears from her eyes, she explained she had felt the ancient power in it, knowing it was an enchanted item. "When I saw you interacting with the griffins, I had my suspicions. I had a hunch that you would need it today."

Isra whispered her hunch was right. Just then Apollo and Thalia burst into the room. Emmie yelled at the mortal boy for taking so long because Georgina wouldn't sit in the Throne until he showed up.

* * *

Everyone hushed as Calypso grabbed a pad of paper and a pencil. Quieta's pencil had snapped and her pages were shredded, hence the reason Calypso was prepared.

Georgina sat in the chair rigidly. He eyes opened and they were pure black. Smelly smoke came out of her mouth. When she spoke it wasn't her voice, but Trophonius!

"Father!" Trophonius voice stated snidely. A cruel grin appeared on the little girl's face. She laughed hysterically before continuing. "Have you finally heard my prayer?"

Everyone was staring, confused by what was happening. "Apollo what is this?" Emmie demanded when Georgina slapped her hand away. "This has never happened before."

Another laugh and Georgina tapped her chest. "You send this little sister of mine to do your errands. You are no different than the emperor." Another cruel smile and a laugh before the dark voice continued. "Tomorrow morning, the cave will only be accessible at first light. Your prophecy will unfold or the emperor's perhaps. Either way, there will be no hiding in your little haven.

Come in person. Bring the girl, your master. You both will enter my cavern. Perhaps you'll both survive. Or perhaps suffer the same fate as my brother and I? I wonder, Father. Who will you pray to?" Another evil laugh and the little girl's eyes returned to normal.

Georgina fell off the throne into Emmie's waiting arms. What they heard wasn't a prophecy, but a record message. Hopefully, now that it had spoken, little Georgina could recover.

Sensing an argument about to happen, Isra slipped away, heading to her God Room, with the orange ghost hot on her heels. Bursting in, the Waystation stuck out a book and highlighted the modern map pinpointing the exact location of the Dark Oracle.

Grabbing the book, the teen flipped through it until she came to the page she was looking for. "According to the book, spirit possession by an oracle can really be dangerous and break someone's mind, unless they are seers. Could Georgina be a seer?"

She looked up from the book at the ghost hovering nearby. "Do you know if Georgina is a seer?"

The ghost shook the ball hard before placing it in her hands. Flipping it over, she read the message.

" _Possibly. I found her and brought her to the Waystation. I felt she would be safe here."_

"You can't tell me where you found her, I know it's the one question you won't answer. Is there anything you can say that will be helpful in this situation?"

They tossed the Magic Eight ball back and forth a few times before Isra flipped it over. _"The Well of Truth can help, but only when you give it the right token."_

"My mom's other symbol? Well I guess, I could ask her if I can use it." She stood up and closed the book. Giving him some words of comfort she headed out of the room to find her mom.

The Waystation sensed her needs and helped her by bringing her to her mother's office door. She was about to knock to announce her presence when she heard her mom's voice yelling sharply. "You are impossible!"

Crouching down, Isra opened the door just a crack before peering inside. Her mother was in her goddess form for some reason. Apollo was in clean clothes and was staring at Aletheia so hard, if he was still a god, would have burned a hole through her.

Apollo replied indignantly, "I'm impossible? You have all your goddess abilities, but you're not using them to help me or the Waystation residents."

"Oh, you actually remembered someone other than yourself. Color me surprised," Aletheia replied sarcastically and waved her right hand. "Did you forget I'm only a personification goddess? Unlike you're A-list Olympians and Kronos's two other kids, I don't have any great powers.

I represent truth, honesty, and sincerity. My powers revolve around those concepts, so no I could just snap my fingers, while I sit on my butt, to fix the situation. Nor would I leave it up to demigods, because unlike you, I don't find them disposable."

Apollo slammed his fist on her desk. He gave her a scathing look before speaking in a bitter tone. "Don't you have any pride at all?! If you like pretending to be a mortal so much, why don't you rid yourself of your immortality? I mean, your _daughter_ is going to die someday, unless you plan on sharing your immortality with her."

Aletheia saw red and slapped Apollo across the face so hard, it left a mark. She grew a few inches and her aura became visible. She was really angry.

"Don't you _ever_ imply that Isra isn't my daughter or dismiss her for being an ordinary mortal! I would gladly give up my immortality to live a mortal life with her during her lifetime. The only reason I haven't is because I believe I can help more people to speak the truth if I'm around."

Hearing those words made Isra feel very warm inside. Her mother would give up her immortality for her. Her mother truly loved her and embraced what it meant to be mortal, only keeping immortality to promote truth and sincerity.

She was so happy to hear these words, she almost missed what was being said in the office.

"I can't believe you slapped me! Is this any way to treat an Olympian?"

"I rather be a human then have to deal with selfish, egotistical, lazy, and good for nothing absent parents, who happened to be Gods! Do you realize what a gift you've been given?" Aletheia's voice grew quieter and her goddess form melted back into her everyday clothes.

She had lost some of her zeal and tilted back in her chair pinching her nose. She spun partway until she was facing a small window showing the world outside. It was a beautiful sight.

"You dream of going back to Olympus and regaining your godhood. To forget you were ever human and return to your old ways." Her chair swiveled and she looked at Apollo with pity.

"Tell me Apollo, do your recall the last time you remembered the name of someone you call D-list? Do you know the name of my half sister?"

"Half sister? I thought you only had a brother. That mortal Deukalion, wasn't it?"

"Aidos was brought to life by my father, but it was Nemesis who came to him asking for a companion for her, describing what she wanted. In that way, Nemesis is both her mother and sister. Do you remember her now?"

Apollo, shrugged and explained his human memory didn't contain everything he knew as a god. He did admit though, he might not have recalled Aidos. D-list gods and goddess were not that important.

The goddess of truth narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, angry at the slight. She spoke in a tight tone. "Apollo, you have no idea how wrong you are. While you and the other A-list gods and goddess were fighting and breaking promises, my friends and I were enjoying our lives. Our only resentment was the disrespect and bad treatment we got from others.

To you, your children aren't that memorable or as important to you. For daemons and very minor gods and goddess, our offspring were something to be cherish. Family has always been important to us."

She slid the Mirror of Truth across the desk and the teenager placed his trembling hand on the handle. Aletheia leaned forward, propping up her chin on her hands. "It's time you face the truth about yourself. Ask the Mirror a question and it will show you the answer."

Apollo removed his hand from the handle and puffed out his chest, only for it to sag a little. "I don't need a magical mirror to tell me something I already know. As the goddess of truth, you should be able to tell I'm the most awesome god there is."

Aletheia rolled her eyes. "If that's true, why are you hesitating to confirm it? Could it be you're afraid of who you really are?"

Angrily, Apollo grasped the Mirror and asked it to reveal the truth about who he really was. The Mirror of Truth glowed and Apollo's mouth fell open. His breathing hitched and he began to shake.

The teenager couldn't let go of the Mirror. He just kept staring at it, unable to accept what it was showing him. Aletheia summoned the Mirror back into her hand after five minutes passed. She glanced into it for a few moments before putting it down on the desk again.

"So," she asked the shocked teenager. "Do you know now who your truth self is?"

The teenager didn't say anything. He stumbled to his feet and walked out the door, not noticing Isra plastered by the wall to avoid getting hit by the incoming door. What had the former god seen that caused him to panic?

* * *

Isra slipped inside her mom's office nervously. Said woman was counting to ten and rubbing her forehead. She sensed her child's presences. "I assume you were listening to our conversation?"

Isra stilled and started to protest, when her mom told her to sit. "As much as I don't like you eavesdropping, this time I know it couldn't be helped. My cousin is rather difficult to get along with." She sighed a bit and laughed bitterly. "He was never good at facing the truth, then again, very few gods and goddess can."

"Mom, what did he see in the Mirror?"

"I won't divulge that information to you. Each person's true self is a very private matter. Whether a person can deal with what they saw, is an entirely different matter."

Isra kicked her legs and fiddled with her hands. What she had wanted to talk about before, didn't seem important. "Mom, can you tell me about your childhood? You're real one from long ago? The full version this time please."

Aletheia got a faraway look and smiled happily. She remembered running across the valleys found on Mount Parnassus in Phocis. The Cave of Delphi was found at the foothills. Her brother Deucalion ark had landed there after the flood.

"I was born on top Mount Parnassus where my parents lived. The day I was brought to life, my father's apprentice, Dolus, son of Erebos and Nyx, the spirit god of trickery and deception, was working in my father's workshop.

My father, was a great sculptor and had been tasked with creating different versions of humans or crafting spirits into solid form. On that particular day, Zeus had summoned for some reason. He had just finished sculpting so he asked Dolus to watch over the workshop until he got back.

While he was gone, Dolus decided to play a trick and make his own version of me so my father couldn't tell which one he had made. It would have worked if Dolus had enough clay to make my opposite her feet. At last, he didn't and I was brought to life and so was Dolus's daughter."

Isra imagined the workshop. A huge workroom of half-finished sculptures with art and pottery making tools. A huge kiln in the back crackling with a hearty fire inside. Attached to the shop would be a home fit for the Titan of Foresight and his wife.

"So you were born an adult, but with a child's mind?"

Her mom nodded as she described her first few days living in her home. Learning about the world with her foster mother. Practicing her powers with her father. Avoiding Dolus and Pseudologoi because they bullied her. Mostly she remembered the quiet life and the beauty of the mountain. Her favorite past time had been watching the humans in the town in one of the lower valleys.

"Eventually, Dolus and his creation, grew jaded with living with my father. They left to go stay with his sister Apate and they never returned to our happy home. Thankfully, because the next few years I knew nothing, but happiness and love."

Aletheia stopped speaking and went over to a locked cabinet and retrieved a few items. They were ancient vases and containers. Each showed a different story. One showed Aletheia's family visiting her brother and another had a day exploring the mountain on it. There was even one telling how Prometheus sculpted and brought about Nemeses' companion/daughter to life.

Looking at the other ones, the story changed from a happy life. The vases showed Prometheus being chained to a mountain as punishment for giving humans fire. Pronoia staying by his side and tending to him, occasionally leaving to visit her parents.

Three pieces of pottery told the rest of the story. The first one, showed Zeus summoning the goddess to Mount Olympus, but her refusing to come. That she had hid around her mountain home, not wishing to leave. Only giving in to spare the people who lived there from another flood.

The next pot showed the sumptuousness of Mount Olympus. The palaces of the other gods and goddesses. The gardens were spectacular, and there were plenty of places to relax or watch a play. In a tiny corner of the pot, it showed the young spirit entering a small home.

The last pot showed her standing next to the throne of Zeus. The image showed a chain attached to the defendant and one attached to Aletheia. Historians thought this meant that she was, chaining up a liar. In reality, it showed how both were prisoners of Zeus.

"It was awful being a prisoner on Mount Olympus. I had very few friends and I only had a small room to myself. It wasn't very impressive or beautiful. If I was not helping Zeus, I was either in my room or venturing out to see my new home."

"Was there anything you liked about Olympus?"

Her mom shrugged her shoulders. "It was a bit to lavish and raucous for my taste. Those who dwelled there were very uptight and arrogant. You had to watch your step if you wanted to avoid causing trouble. The only places I felt at peace were the small gardens near my room and staying by Hestia's hearth to unwind."

Isra reached out and squeezed her mom's hand, letting her know she was there for her. Aletheia squeezed back, promising no matter what happened tomorrow, she would make sure Isra got out alive.

* * *

Later, after dinner, Isra invited Calypso and Quieta to her room. She would have invited Thalia, but didn't want to interrupt her as she planned strategy with the Hunters. Turning her attention to her friends, she figured out the words she needed to say.

"Tomorrow's going to be a very dangerous. Quieta, you don't have to be here. The Waystation isn't your home and you have two parents who would be devastated if you died tomorrow. I think you should go home."

Quieta shook her head. She wasn't leaving.

"Quieta, perhaps you should listen to your friend. I know you are a brave soul and a wonderful friend. Still, despite your blessings, your just a mortal," Calypso pointed out.

Quieta raised both her eyebrows then formed them into little arches as her eyes and mouth reflecting her anger. She furiously wrote in her notepad then shoved it into the former Titaness hands. She crossed her arms and eyes as she waited for them to finish reading her words.

 _Both of you are normal humans as well! Calypso, you haven't regained control over your magic, but you are staying here to fight. I know you plan to stay and live here, but even if you weren't, you wouldn't run away._

 _Isra, you don't have any special powers yourself. Still, it is amazing, you are part of an ancient bloodline that has a relationship with griffins. They will risk their lives for you and you would do the same in turn._

 _You say this isn't my fight, but it is! You are my friends and I risked my life to free the prisoners. Even if I don't participate tomorrow, what is to stop Commodus from finding me after the battle?_

 _I will stay and fight because it's the right thing to do. I may fall, but I will fall doing the right thing. So please don't try to stop me._

When they both read that, they knew there would be no persuading Quieta to leave, no matter how treacherous the attack would be tomorrow. The best they could do was make her write a letter to her parents to read if she fell in the mêlée.

Calypso ran her fingers through her caramel hair as she thought about the life Leo and her were trying to start. It was difficult for her to imagine finally having a normal life and experience normalcy for the first time.

If Commodus wins, this entire city will be destroyed. Thousands of lives would be lost. If any children survive, Commodus will certainly enslave them and who knows what will happen to them then?

"I'm scared as well. I would love to have my full powers back for the fight tomorrow," she admitted to the girls, as she tugged on her ski jacket. The others sat quietly waiting to see if she would continue to speak.

She looked at the girls in the eyes with fierce determination. "I _chose_ to give up my former life and there is no turning back. I don't know what tomorrow will bring, but I _will_ do my best to protect this place."

Isra looked at her two friends seeing their determination and spirit. Neha would have loved to meet these two. She was also be kicking me in the butt telling me to woman up.

She took Quieta and Calypso hands in hers and squeezed them tightly. "You're right. It's like the song said. Kwetu Ni Kwetu, home is home." That was the first time the teenager realized she had fallen in love with the Waystation and Indianapolis, as much as she had enjoyed her life in Seattle.

The three girls hugged each other tightly. For the first time Calypso and Quieta had a best friend to have fun with. As a trio, one a former Titaness with magic, a godparent blessed girl, and normal human with an ancient bloodline going through her, would rock this world.

* * *

There was a knock on the door. "Come in."

Aletheia opened the door and looked fondly at the girls. "I'm glad to see you all becoming friends. It gives you something to fight for tomorrow." Patting her daughter on her head she continued. "I want you to know I'm very proud of all of you, for what you have done and will do."

The girls blushed, it was a high praise when a god or goddess acknowledged your talents. Calypso cleared her throat, "Thank you for the praise Lady Aletheia. It is an honor to fight by your side."

"As it is also an honor to have met you cousin. I am glad to have at least one sane and non-arrogant relative." Both of them smirked upon hearing that. "I actually wanted to discuss something with you three. Follow me."

They followed Aletheia back into her office. In the corner, the Well of Truth, gurgled as the water below stirred. The Well was shining brightly indicating its powers were active. The goddess stood beside it and explained why she had brought them here.

"The Mirror of Truth reveals what is hidden inside, the Well of Truth, answers the questions we fear to speak. You must offer a token of significance to you. Then ask your question and pull the bucket up. Drink it and the answer will flow into your mind. Remember, you must ask a question that revolves around truth."

Anticipating her daughter's question, Aletheia assured her daughter that it was perfectly safe. She also anticipated Quieta's by saying she could write down her question. She then told Calypso, the token of significance could be anything tangible except for blood, which the Well didn't consider a token.

Quieta went first writing something on her notepad. She ripped the page out and tossed the notepad into the water. There was a flash of light and the water below became a brighter blue.

She let go of the page and waited for her question to be answered. The well water got really bright then. Pulling up the bucket, she poured the water into a cup, provided by the goddess.

She drank the water and stood very still. A minute passed and then she gave a thumbs up. Whatever her question was, it had been answered.

Calypso did the same thing, her token being a flower that had grown on her island. "I love Leo and being mortal, but was it the right decision to make?"

She had a very serious look on her face as she pulled up the water. Once her glass was full she chugged it down. She stood still a few minutes longer before she relaxed and smiled. Clearly her question had been answered.

Finally it was Isra turn. She had a lot of questions she wanted to ask and discover the truth about. Since she could only ask one question, did that mean the Well of Truth only worked for each person once? Then what would her token be?

Unconsciously, she wrapped her hand around the whistle. Should she give it up, the only heirloom of her family history? If she did would that mean the griffins would never come to her again? Agamethus words were to give up the right token.

"Excuse me, I'll be right back." Isra left the office and came back a minute later with a photo album she had been looking through a few days ago. This one contained photographs of her entire life with her mother. This album was proof of her bond with her mom, and if it was lost, there would be nothing to help Aletheia remember the good times.

Without glancing at her mom, she dropped the book in the well, which shined much brighter then had before. Now the question that had been burning in her mind since she discovered her mom's secrete.

"Would I be happier as an immortal always by Mom's side?" Her question startled Aletheia.

Isra hauled up the water and poured into a glass. Pressing it to her lips, she sipped the water slowly, waiting for the answer to come to her.

 _Truthfully, you would not be happy to live for all eternity, even if it was by your mom's side. What you seek is true immortality; being remembered and loved in the memories of your family and friends, who will carry you in their hearts and mind forever._

Happy with the answer, she embraced her mom and thanked her for letting her discover the truth for herself. Whatever happened in the future, she would live on forever through others.


	7. Reflections

It was an hour and half before sunrise, the only time the Cave of Trophonius could be entered. Also, at first light, Commodus's army would attack the Waystation. Everyone was awake and preparing for battle.

The Waystation's defenses were armed for the attack along with a few surprises Leo had installed. The weakened demigods that had been rescued, were manning the infirmary to help anyone who got hurt. Jaime, the accounting/MMA fighter from Nigeria, was preparing for battle and praying to the Yoruba tribes gods for strength to protect his new friends.

Sssssarah, the dracaena, was stretching out her body, getting limber for the attack. She planned to swallow hordes of Germani. The Hunters had geared up and Griff's pack, along with Abelard and Heloise, were sharpening their claws and talons for the fight ahead.

Heloise egg was being moved to a safer location to protect it, along with all the red cows and chickens that provide the fresh dairy. On the other hand, Livia the Elephant, was more than ready to defend her new home and her liberators.

Emmie and Josephine were armed, Emmie with her bow and Josephine with her tommy gun from when she was a gangster. Calypso was practicing very minor spells, while Quieta got her battle fan ready. Aletheia had agreed to protect Georgina and use her goddess powers as best she could during the fight.

Lityerses went around, helping out people and reminding the group what Commodus's army would do and how to counter their actions. He was still in pain from his injuries yesterday, but the demigod son of Demeter was nothing if not resilient.

The only ones not preparing for battle were Apollo, Meg, and Isra. Apollo and Meg, were eating their breakfast for the dangerous journey ahead. Isra, was baking the honey cakes, to feed the snakes that would try to stop the trio from reaching the Dark Oracle.

Isra, had chosen her spelunking outfit for today. Not only did she love hiking, but cave exploration as well. She wore red coveralls, a thick shirt, along with hiking boots and gloves. She had already packed her bag with her hard hat, climbing gear, first aid kit, along with a backup flashlight with fresh batteries, some food, and lastly, the Mirror of Truth.

"I still don't understand why you need to come with us. I'm sure Meg and I, can handle Trophonius by ourselves. Besides, shouldn't you stay here to fight for your home?" Apollo asked with trepidation.

"I made a promise to Agamethus and I won't go back on it," Isra replied. She turned her head and gave the mortal god a sly look. "Besides, you're borrowing my mom's car to get there. Have to make sure it stays in one piece."

The oven beeped and the teenager pulled out the honey cakes, they needed to cool for a bit before they could be placed into a container. "This day not only will decide the fate of the Waystation, the city, and all forms of life, it might also be the day to fix something that has been broken far too."

Meg punched Apollo in the arm. "Besides, she'll be our secret fertilizer ingredient. No one expects her, so we'll be able to get to the Dark Oracle, without to many of Commodus's forces following us."

The honey cakes finished cooling and were placed in a Tupperware container. "Let me say goodbye to my Mom and we can get going. It's going to be a long drive."

The teenager hurried over to her mom, who was quietly having a conversation with the Cornhusker, who was anxiously rocking on his feet. His sword had been fully restored. His injuries from yesterday were still wrapped with healing potions lathered on.

"You are the Goddess of Truth correct? Then you know I spoke truthfully when I said I wanted to help and protect the people in the Waystation."

Aletheia inclined her head. "You spoke truthfully Lityerses, but it's another matter completely to _act_ on it. You are on your third chance to prove to yourself who you really are inside. I can't do that for you. Know this though, by the end of today, if you are true to your heart, then you'll find the peace you're looking for."

Tentatively, he reached out to hug her, then drew back and started to walk away. Aletheia wrapped her arms around him whispering words of kindness to him. They broke apart a minute later. A smile was on the swordsman's face.

The goddess turned her attention to her daughter. Neither needed to say anything as they hugged tightly to another. Aletheia kissed her little rainbow on the top of the head and stroked her daughter's hair. "I love you Isra, more than I have ever loved someone. Don't forget that."

Isra sniffled then replied, "Don't forget that I love you and that you're the best mom in the universe. I could never have anyone better than you. Be safe."

"And you as well." One more hug and kiss, then they separated. Aletheia handed over the car keys. Isra took them and hurried over to the carport, where Apollo and Meg were getting in.

She heard the sound of beating wings and turned behind her. Griff and slightly smaller female landed behind her. Both of them bowed to her and she returned it with a curtsy.

 _"Princess Isra, may I introduce you to my mate Brianna?"_

"It's wonderful to meet you Brianna."

 _"A pleasure Princess Isra. My mate has informed me of your mission. I humbly ask to come along. I can fly high in the sky looking for dangers or redirect you if your path is blocked. I will even descend into the depths with you to protect you all from harm,"_ Brianna stated passionately.

"I don't know Brianna. We're already taking a big risk with me going along. Are you sure about this?"

 _"I am certain of this. We have waited millenniums for a descendant of Cyrus the Great, to call upon us once more. Now that we found you, we can't let you go to face danger by yourself."_

"Alright, but stay well out of sight. I'll signal you if we need back up."

 _"Thank you Princess. I will return my love."_

 _"I know you will come back to me beloved."_

* * *

Finally, the trio was ready to go. Isra handed over the car keys, warning Apollo once more to be careful driving the car. He promised he would be careful. The car left the Waystation and the occupants wondered if this was the last time they see them.

The drive was nerve wracking. The car didn't have wireless radio, so Apollo couldn't sing. It was obvious he used music to calm himself down. He was all jittery.

Meg was in the front seat, playing air piano. She wanted to take lessons from Apollo seeing as she had never played a musical instrument before. He begrudgingly agreed.

"We should talk strategy," he suggested. "When we get to the caverns, we'll need to find the secret entrance. I doubt it will be as obvious as the mortal entrance."

"Mm-kay."

"Once you and Isra dispatch…"

"Oh no way Apollo. This is your quest and your son. You're going to help us understand?" Isra interjected harshly.

The mortal guy swallowed and resumed speaking. "Once there, we'll need to look for two streams. We need to drink from them before…"

"Don't tell me," Meg interrupted her slave. "I want to be surprised so no spoilers."

"NO SPOILERS?! We're about to see a dangerous oracle and you don't want to know how to survive?"

"Yep."

Apollo threw up his hands and the car started to slide on to the opposite side of the road."

"HEY! Both hands on the wheel at all times!" Isra snapped angrily.

Apollo quickly regained control of the car. He looked at her sheepishly, no doubt fearing Aletheia's wrath.

They drove in silence for several miles. They were about to take a turn off, when Brianna plunged down from the sky to just above the car to speak to her Princess.

 _"You're going too far! If you keep driving this way, you'll miss the road leading towards the Blue Springs Caverns. Turn around for two miles and then take the left exit. I will look ahead to see if I can spot the secret entrance."_

"I understand Brianna." The griffin headed back up into the sky. In the car, Isra leaned forward and told Apollo to stop. "We're going too far, we need to backtrack two miles."

"But the sign say's God's Place is that way," Apollo remonstrated.

Both girls slapped their faces and let out huge sighs. In unison the both said. "That's a Christian Bible store!"

"We'll honestly, they should be specific!"

"Haven't you notice by now that a vast majority of the world believes the Greek gods were myths? When people speak of God today, they mean the Almighty Father, who sent his son to earth, to help people not live in sin?" Isra demanded dubiously.

"Never heard of him. Besides, I don't deal with songs of praise unless they're about me."

Meg kicked Apollo's leg and told him start driving again. Sunrise was coming and they needed to reach the secret entrance before first light. Turning back around, they followed Brianna's directions to the turn off.

Apollo consulted the Arrow of Dodona where to go next. Isra chuckled softly as she watched Apollo's face screw up into perfect frustration. It was nice to know someone could speak back to him without worrying about precipitously flying into the sun.

* * *

About half an hour later, with only ten minutes to sunrise, they managed to find the secret entrance. Brianna reported that she spied a crevice near two small streams a few feet behind a barbed fence.

She also said there were a few strange beasts grazing nearby. She said she had never seen them before and wasn't sure if they were friendly or dangerous. She screeched to Isra to be careful.

"Can your griffin identify what we're up against?" Apollo asked as they approached the barb wire fence.

Isra shook her head. "She has no idea what they are. She's never seen anything like them before and she's seen a lot of mythical creatures. We need to be careful."

"We can handle anything, let's go already," Meg implored. She placed her jacket over the barbed wire and managed to wobbly step over the barbed wire. Isra followed next, and Apollo was last. He managed to get over it, but his jeans got ripped up.

The trio cautiously crossed the field closer to the three creatures. Meg was in the lead, striding confidently towards the creatures, with Apollo in the middle, who was sweating due to nerves. Isra was in the back checking to see if there were any other threats around.

The trio made it to a hackberry bush about twenty feet from the grazing creatures. Dawn tinged the horizon with red. Meg adjusted her glasses and edged sideways to look around the bush, when one of the creatures lifted its head.

Instantly, Apollo grabbed Meg's wrist and pulled her back around the bush. He shushed her and gave the two girls the signal to whisper very, _very_ , quietly.

"Stay very still. Those are Yales."

Meg blinked one eye then the other. Isra raised a single eyebrow in confusion. "Yales? Isn't that a university?" the child of Demeter asked.

"Yes," he muttered. "Yale University was named after these creatures. The Romans knew them as centicores. These creatures are absolutely deadly. They're attracted to sudden movements and loud noises. So shush."

Isra peered through the bush to get a better look at the yales. They looked like huge yaks. Their fur was brown and shaggy with yellow spots, with the fur on the head completely yellow. They had a horse like main on their necks, with a tail that was as long as a male human's arm.

Their eyes were amber while their large hooves shined jet black. The main feature, which drew a person's attention, was their horns. They were white, spear like, and exceptionally long. Worse, they could swivel to gore any target.

"Maybe we can take them by surprise and kill them?" Meg suggested.

"We can't do that. They're on the endangered monster list. So few of them have regenerated from Tartarus, the gods decreed we have to let them breed until their numbers are backup. They're extremely rare."

Probably why Brianna didn't recognize them. So how do we get past these animals without killing them? Isra fingered her whistle, wondering if she should call for the female griffin, when the wind changed direction, blowing their scent straight at the Yales.

With a bellowing rage, the trio of Yales let out a cry that sounded exactly like a foghorn. They charged the bush, sending the three of them running for their lives, dodging the swiveling horns.

"To the trees!" Meg yelled, pointing to a cluster of oaks nearby. Quickly, the three of them climbed up the trees, safely out of the way of the horns. Unfortunately, the Yales circled the trees, still bellowing loudly.

Apollo pointed to a small outcropping of rocks. "The cave entrances must be there."

Meg wrinkled her nose. "So do we run for it and jump in?"

"No. Remember we have to drink from the two streams to prepare our minds, otherwise we'll go insane down there!"

"But the Yales won't give us the time required to get in."

"Leave that to me. Just run as fast as you can." Isra brought the whistle to her lips and blew it. The Yales bellowed even louder, but they also moved farther away from the tree, because they were too close to the source of the sound.

Brianna dove from the sky and racked her talons and claws, shredding the animal's manes. She managed to dodge the swiveling horns and positioned herself close enough so Isra could get on. "GO!"

Apollo and Meg jumped out of the trees and starting running for the secret entrance. Before the Yales could turn to charge them, Brianna got in their faces slashing at them.

"Be careful Brianna! We can't kill them!"

" _I know how to play with food without injuring it too badly. We just need to keep their attention on us for a bit longer."_

Brianna was very swift and agile, but even she couldn't avoid all the Yales horns. One of them managed to create a deep cut in left hind leg. She screeched loudly in pain and barely managed to avoid having her wings pierced. She did lose a few feathers, which affected her flying.

Isra noticed the sun was starting to peak out. Dawn was only a minute away. "Brianna, we need to go, now!"

Hastily, Brianna flew towards the secret entrance, the Yales charging behind her. They saw Meg push Apollo into the crevice. It was a narrow opening, but they managed to dive in just before dawn arrived.

* * *

There was the sound of a lot of water rushing past. Isra then heard a large splash and someone going, "WHEE!" Pulling her hard hat out of her pack, she buckled it tight and flipped the light on, illuminating the darkness.

Brianna was hovering a few feet above a black underground river. The splash she heard was Apollo hitting the water. He went under then came back up laughing foolishly. Meg was nowhere in sight.

Not a lot of room to fly and no earth to run on. Swimming isn't an option for Brianna. Isra leaned forward and whispered into Brianna's ear. "Do the best you can to glide over the river, until you find a place to land."

" _I'll try my best. Keep a tight hold on my scruff Princess Isra. It's the only way I can handle being underground."_

The griffin and human carefully followed the underground river. Apollo kept bobbing up and down in the water. He called out his mother's name and Styx as well. The river turned and ran up against a rocky path. Meg was there and she snagged the mortal god and Brianna landed. She let out a squawk of pain due to her injury.

Apollo gave Meg a dazed look. "I feel like I know you," he croaked. "I want to say Peg or Megan?"

Meg frowned, looking almost as dangerous as the goddess Styx. "You're not kidding are you?"

"Nope! Now what is my name again? Does it start with the letter A or L? I can't remember."

Meg shrugged her shoulders and held her hands up, her body language saying she didn't know what to do. Isra gave Meg the flashlight she packed before instructing Brianna, to pin Apollo to the ground.

Poor boy, he kept believing this was a game of hide and seek. He kept telling the griffin to let him up so he could be it. He kept babbling incoherently as she bandaged him up.

Once the boy was properly treated, Brianna was next. The proud animal endured the stinging alchole and did her best not to attack Isra as she wrapped it tightly. It didn't hurt as much as before. Once they were back at the Waystation, the griffin's injury could be treated properly.

Meg turned her attention to her slave, who was rolling around and clapping his hands. "Well, I did drink from the two streams correct? Of course I did! Now we must enter the cave or wait we're already here! So now we descended into the deeper depths. Follow me!"

There was only one direction they could go. To the left there was a sheer wall of rock, with scary shadows darting around. Behind them was the waterfall, the dark river water splashing down with a mighty force. It snaked by their little resting spot and then continued to the right going through a narrow tunnel. The ledge was barely wide enough to walk on.

They followed the path carefully. Bits of it were becoming loose and falling into the river. Screeches of madness and evil voices filled the air. "The fire is water!" one claimed. Another voice said, "You know you want to drown, then go drown yourselves."

The tunnel starting getting smaller, the group was forced to crawl. Brianna was having a difficult time because of her size and wings. If the tunnel got even smaller, she would be stuck.

Suddenly, Apollo came to an abrupt halt, causing the rest of the team to crash into one another. The girls all bemoaned their discontentment. "Why are you stopping?" Meg demanded to know.

"Honey cakes, honey cakes. The snakes want their honey cakes, not rats."

"We've got the honey cakes so get a move on idiot!" Meg's command did the trick as the former god started crawling at a faster pace. The dark voices had vanished and the shadows were not moving around to scare them.

The tunnel widened up and the group entered a large cavern. Immediately they froze and Brianna grabbed Isra with her beak. They were standing on a very slim, slick, rocky outcropping.

A large lake about sixty foot in diameter spread out before them. A tiny island of black dirt was in the middle, surrounded by hundreds of cottonmouths. The ceiling above was a dome with glistening stalactites hung like chandeliers above them.

Meg let out a slight whimper. "We're going to need a lot more honey cakes," she stated in deadpan voice that carried over the lake. The noise woke the snakes up and they all started swimming towards the group.

* * *

In his delirious state, Apollo jumped into the lake and starting swimming towards the small island in the middle. The cotton mouths didn't like it as they hissed and opened their mouths displaying their fangs.

Some of the cottonmouths started to slither out of the water and coming up towards the ledge. Meg was panicking and took all the honey cakes they had and started throwing them as far as she could. It deterred some of the snakes, but more were coming.

"Meg, calm down! Cottonmouths prefer to flee or posture to deter predators. As long as we don't try to pick them up or touch them, they won't bite," Isra informed the girl.

She then tiptoed backwards, heading back to the tunnel, but Meg didn't follow her. She stood frozen in place looking at her slave, who was still swimming to the island unaware that the water snakes were getting ready to bite. "APOLLO SING!"

"Why would I sing to snakes? I don't think I'm Saint Patrick, am I?"

Staring in disbelief, Meg started to sing. She was a bit off key and it was hard to hear her. Slowly she got louder and the snakes slower before looking up at her, feeling the vibrations.

Isra listened as Meg sang of loss and regret. Her attention was suddenly drawn to the ceiling. The stalactites started to glow, supernaturally amplifying Meg's voice. The water in the lake started to boil. Something started to appear on the island, which Apollo had reached. Something dark and gave her an uneasy feeling.

"Meg stop singing! The Dark Oracle is coming and you're not prepared to handle the prophecy!" Isra begged. She tried to cover Meg's mouth, but there some kind of force field around the girl, which threw her back into the tunnel.

" _PRINCESS!"_ Brianna shouted. The female griffin tried to attack Meg, but again the force field blocked the attack from reaching Meg. Meg kept singing, even though she was trying to stop. The power of the Cave had taken over.

The magic of the Cave of Trophonius brought to life Meg's memories. She was a little girl being given a rose by her father, who told her that Demeter wanted her to have it.

Another memory showed her being separated from her father by Nero. She was forced to train day and night. Whenever she made a mistake or failed in training, she was locked in her room after being beaten. The Nero in the memory told her she needed to be a good girl if she wanted to see her father again.

The next memory was of her on the steps of the New York City Library, looking down at her father's corpse. "You misbehaved Meg and look what the Beast did. You need to be better if you don't want the Beast to come back out, do you understand?"

The memory faded as the glowing light from the ceiling turned dark. Shadows and evil laughter came from everywhere at once. The water was churning and the air grew cold. On the rocky island, a humanoid figure started to appear.

He finally came into focus. He looked very different from his brother. He had lustrous black hair and strong chin with gorgeous eyes, the same color as Apollo. The same harshly sounding voice from the recording snickered maliciously. He leered down at his now mortal father. His eyes held madness and rage in them. "Hello Father, I've been waiting a long time for you."

Apollo was in shock so Trophonius continued to derision him. "I see you brought your master with you. Such a strong girl on the outside, but inside nothing except for anguish and despair. She's the perfect master for you."

He paused in speaking and his face twitched in surprise. He hadn't noticed until now, Isra and Brianna standing guard over Meg, who had collapsed from her singing. "Strange, I don't recall asking Father to bring a tagalong with him. Who are you child and why is the griffin not tearing you to shreds?"

Slowly, Isra drew out the Mirror of Truth and held it by her side. It wasn't time to use it yet. Beside her, Brianna was in a pouncing position ready to defend her princess.

"I am Isra Daimona, direct descendant of Cyrus the Great, Emperor of the Persian Empire and friend to all griffins. The adopted human daughter of the Goddess of Truth, Aletheia. A friend of your brother Agamethus, who asked me to come and help you."

Trophonius seethed angrily. "Don't you _mention_ my brother name or claim to be his friend! I am his only friend and I don't need help!"

"Look where you are Trophonius!" Isra retorted. Her arms spread far apart encompassing the entire cavern. "You're a dark oracle, not because you begged for death or Apollo is your father, you chose to stay behind. Until now, you couldn't do anything to Apollo, but you have lashed out against innocent people with anger and hatred. You cause madness and pain because you want everyone to feel yours, but that isn't right!"

The spirit of Trophonius growled and grew taller. More shadows appeared and leapt off the walls, going after Isra, who held the Mirror of Truth in front of her. It sparkled as a beam of light shot out of it and banished the shadows.

Trophonius was getting angrier and the cavern echoed his anger as the place shook sending a few pieces of the rock walls into the lake.

"Stop this at once Trophonius! I'm your petitioner, not the girls. If you wish to drive someone to madness, do it to me." Isra looked at him in incredulity. This was the first time she had seen and heard the mortal god acting maturely.

Trophonius regarded the young Meg. She was shivering and curled up on the ledge. Brianna covered the girl with one wing and gave him a glare which clearly communicated, "Back off if you don't want to die a second time."

"If she is not my petitioner, why did she summon me with her song of grief? She has many unanswered questions. I could answer them, the price being her sanity."

Apollo looked at his son aghast. It was finally becoming clear how his son's madness came about. "Please, she was trying to protect me. She's not just my master she's my friend. Take me, your original petitioner, not her."

Trophonius tapped his chin and looked like he was thinking. "Where have I heard those words before? Oh yes, they were my prayer to you to save my brother. Agamethus was caught in the tunnel, his chest crushed, life fading. Did you listen to me then? NO! You are to blame for my brother's death and my eternal torment!"

"That's not true and you know it deep inside Trophonius!" Isra called out. Taking a deep breath she schooled her expression to appear calm. "Agamethus never blamed Apollo or you for his death. He's been living in the basement of the Waystation these past seven years, paying penance for what he did."

"I TOLD YOU TO SAY MY BROTHER'S NAME!" He pushed his arms forward. The water in the lake became a swell heading straight for the human girl.

" _Get behind me Princess!"_ Brianna stepped in front of the two girls, spreading her wings as far apart as they would go. Her wingspan wasn't as impressive as Abelard's and didn't block the whole swell. However, it was just enough to divert the water around them.

While this was happening, Apollo crawled up the island and lay flat on the ground in front of the spirit of his son. "Enough son, please. I'm the one you blame, rightfully so. Kill me and leave the girls alone. They will do anything you ask of them, if you spare them."

"You would die for a human and demigod, but not answer the prayer of your son? No, I will make you suffer before I end you." Out of his body a huge swarm of ghostly bees came flying over to the ledge.

Isra and Brianna tried to block them, but the ghostly bees went straight through them and started stinging Meg repeatedly. Her screaming echoing all over the cavern was music to Trophonius.

Apollo tried to rush over, but the cotton mouths had returned. They acted like Trophonius's familiars, wrapping themselves tightly around the boy's legs, holding him in place, just waiting to sink their fangs into him.

* * *

Isra felt helpless as she watched Meg's skin started to change. The ghostly bees' venom not only delivered prophecies, but venom as well. Meg was going to die if they didn't get out of this cave, but she couldn't leave Apollo behind either. For better or worse, he was family.

"This has to stop now," Isra whispered. She turned back towards the god and oracle, holding the Mirror straight out, both hands wrapped around the handle. She spread her feet apart and concentrated hard. "Show us the truth of that fateful day, which has led to the events of today!" The Mirror of Truth grew larger as rays of white light came spinning out of the glass. The light banished the darkness and clearly illuminated everything and everyone in the cavern.

Isra could feel the Mirror draining her life force, but she held on tight. There was a loud whooshing sound as the light engulfed the entire cavern. The cries of the others seemed very distant.

Slowly the light dimmed and the world came back into sight. Instead of an underground cavern, they were on the surface. It was daytime and they were in a small camp next about a mile and half away from a large stone stronghold in Ancient Greece.

Blinking her eyes a few times, she saw the others appear next to her. They all looked partially ethereal. They all looked confused about how they suddenly got here.

"Isra, where and when are we?" Apollo questioned her.

"The Mirror of Truth has brought us back to the very day Agamethus lost his life." She narrowed her eyes at the spirit of Apollo's son. "We are only observers. We can't interact with the events of the past. The Mirror's power is showing you the different perspectives of this fateful day, so that the truth can set you free."

"I know the truth of what happened," the oracle muttered angrily. He refused to look at her or Apollo.

Keeping a firm grip on the mirror, Isra told them to look at the camp. Agamethus was alive and well, with the past version of Trophonius. The brothers were eating lunch and planning for the big heist that night.

"Tonight, we'll be even richer than before. King Erginus will soon be richer than King Hyrieus! This is only the first heist of many. We'll build bigger and greater temples and treasuries, then sneak back in and take as much money as we want! No one will expect it brother."

Trophonius said nothing, just crossed his arms. He looked longingly at his brother. He reached out to touch him, but his hand went through him. "I have no desire to repeat the events of that terrible night. Return us to my cave mortal."

Isra shook her head and stood her ground. "You're only remembering part of what happened. There is a reason the Mirror of Truth brought us to this moment."

Agamethus was laughing happily with his brother and eating a piece of lamb. He stopped laughing and stared up at the sky for a few moments. His head swiveled so he could see the stronghold in the distance.

"Perhaps brother, it would be best if we didn't go through with our plan."

Past Trophonius seemed shocked by that suggestion. "What are you saying Agamethus? We've planned this from the beginning. That treasure rightfully belongs to us for all the work we put into designing the chamber."

Agamethus looked at his brother with trepidation in his eyes. "Brother, I have had a bad feeling all day. I do not know if the gods are trying to warn us not to proceed with our plan."

He looked back at the stronghold one more time before staring straight into his brother's eyes, communicating with his soul. "We have enough to enrich father's kingdom. If something goes wrong, he'll suffer the consequences of our mistake."

"Nothing is going to go wrong brother. Trust me. Now don't eat too much or you won't fit out the tunnel."

The world around them changed as they found themselves on Mount Olympus. Apollo was lounging on his balcony, some bottled sunlight poured over his skin to give him a great tan.

"The others don't know what their missing. I am perfection and when Zeus gets a look at me tonight at the party, he'll beg me for bottled sunlight to make him look at me."

Present Apollo had conflicted expression on his face. He was desperate to become this person again, but at the same time, he looked at himself and realized he was a jerk.

Past Apollo started scratching his head as a ping was heard every few seconds. He scrunched his eyes tightly, but the pinging wouldn't stop. Opening his eyes he sat up and used the sunlight to burn some clouds away to see who was praying so hard for him.

Down below, Agamethus sent a plea to Apollo begging him to intervene. To make Trophonius scared enough to not go through with this theft.

Past Apollo, sighed and lay back down. "Trophonius? Oh my handsome architect son, who created the fabulous Temple of Delphi! I'm sure whatever wrong he's thinking about, he won't do it. I don't need to intervene at all."

The scenery changed again and they found themselves watching the events of that night. How Agamethus got caught in the trap, Trophonius begging Apollo to save his brother, and Apollo doing nothing, believing his son deserved this.

Isra turned, wincing as she felt the Mirror of Truth, took more of her energy. "The truth of that night is that no one person is responsible for everything that went wrong.

Agamethus begged you Trophonius, to not go through the plan, but you did. He had a chance to walk away, but chose to follow his brother. Apollo, you heard Agamethus's prayer, and ignored your responsibility as father, to prevent your son from committing theft. Trophonius, your anger at your father is because you can't accept the truth, which is simply, if you hadn't gotten greedy, your beloved brother wouldn't have died like that."

Isra gave both of them an unyielding look. She spoke her next words softly. "I now understand what you saw in the Mirror, when you asked it about your true self Apollo. Despite, all your attention seeking and different realms of influence, it doesn't erase the pain and loneliness in your heart."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Apollo replied in a shrilly voice.

Isra continued as if he didn't speak. "You have difficulty being a father to your children, because you don't understand why your own father, doesn't love you unconditionally. That's something most of humanity can do, but not all gods can. Your true self is just a lonely little child craving for some love and affection."

The teenager didn't contest her. He just looked at the past, holding his head down in shame.

Trophonius expression had become subdued, but he wasn't ready to let go of his anger completely. "Apollo, still could have answered my prayer!" he stated stubbornly.

Isra sighed and used her free hand to place it on the spirit boy's shoulder. It shocked him a human would be so willing to touch a spirit. "Life isn't fair Trophonius. Say your father did answer your prayer and took your soul to the afterlife. Do you think your brother wouldn't be devastated by your loss? Agamethus would have lived the rest of life in a deep depression and anger, one he wouldn't let go of, the same as you.

He might have even done something stupider and vengeful, like try to free you from the Underworld, only to be beleaguered for eternity. Instead, he accepted the consequences of his actions and protected his remaining family and people. He has paid penance for his crime, finally coming to peace with it. He can only find true peace, if you forgive yourself and accept the truth, not all lives can be saved nor should others suffer for your grief and guilt."

* * *

The world around them vanished as they returned to the cavern. Isra wobbled a bit, nearly collapsing if it wasn't for Brianna, propping her up. On the island, father and son looked at one another, having a silent conversation.

At last the seemed to reach an agreement. Trophonius spoke and this time it was not full on anger, but with remorse. "I forgive you Father; for not answering my prayer. I shouldn't have tried to take something which wasn't mine."

Apollo also looked apologetic. "I'm sorry I wasn't a better father. Since being turned human, I'm starting to realize I need to be a better person, if I want to become a true god again."

Both turned their attention to Isra, who managed to stand on her own. "My brother was right about you. Your words have opened my heart once again. I will no longer make petitioners go mad. Still, I can't remain here, for Commodus's blemmyae are outside getting ready to destroy my cave."

" _We will handle the headless folks. Once they are gone, you can move yourself to another cave system to make sure you are not disturbed again."_

While the oracle didn't understand what she was saying, he understood the overall message of what the beast was trying to say. He whispered something and the words carried themselves over the lake and into the Mirror. "A prophecy for you child for helping me," he explained. He stood back ready to be purified.

Holding the Mirror out in front of her again. In her mind, she pictured a light washing over the spirit, cleansing his soul of lies. The Mirror responded, doing exactly what she pictured.

When she opened her eyes, the Dark Oracle was gone and the whole cavern was now filled with light. No more dark voices or shadows. The snakes were slowly disappearing and on the ground next to her, Meg body stopped twitching and her breathing stabilized. It was over, they had freed the oracle.

After tying Meg on Brianna's back, the group made their way to opposite end of the lake, where a tiny waterfall, led to an outside entrance. Three blemmyae were standing over a bomb, trying to figure out how set it.

"What should we do?" Apollo whispered to human girl. He seemed to have finally accepted her.

"We need to get past them with them noticing us. They can't look up, so they won't notice Brianna unless they hear her wings. Unfortunately, we have no idea where Mom's car is."

Not like they could go backwards anyways. Even with climbing gear, they couldn't go back up the chasm with the Yales grazing there. No they had to get past the enemy without being caught.

The first rule of caving is to not damage the cave and leave everything as it is. I don't want to destroy this cave, but the bomb will do that anyways. I wish they would go investigate something else. Hey, I have an idea.

She had retrieved the flashlight Meg had dropped. She placed in on a rock and aimed it back at the light filled cavern making it brighter than before, she then took off her outfit reveling a light shirt and pants underneath. After finishing making her decoy she asked Apollo to throw his voice.

"This cavern is simply amazing! Can you believe the rock formations? Oh, I love to get a closer look at the lake! Let's go!" By throwing his voice and changing the way he spoke, it sounded like there was a small group exploring the cavern.

The blemmyae, being the polite people they were, headed to the cavern to warn the group they were going to blow up the place. As soon as they were in the cavern, Brianna used her powerful legs to kick the creatures into the lake.

While the blemmyae tried to float, the others fled. They got out just in time. Apparently the blemmyae had figured out how to turn on the bomb and left the timer going in an attempt to "warn" the others.

The resulting explosions brought the entire cave down to the ground. The shock wave threw the group several feet away as the river flooded the area. The current carried them for half a mile before it came to an end.

Coughing up some water, Isra stood up. "Let's get going. We're needed back at the Waystation now!"


	8. Freedom

Brianna managed to find the car quickly. At least it wasn't too far away for them to hike quickly back to. They were slowed down a bit because of the injuries sustained from surviving the blast and the flood.

Finally, they made it to the car and Apollo placed Meg in the backseat. She was still twitching and muttering in pain. Despite cleansing Trophonius, the prophecy inside Meg was still raging madness in her mind and body.

"We need to get back to the Waystation and fast. I don't know how long Meg can last like this," Isra informed Apollo as she climbed into the back seat to tend to demigod girl.

"Please tell me your mom installed some kind of godly engine part to make this go super fast," Apollo begged as he turned the engine on and he took off back towards the city.

Isra shook her head. Her mother had been living like a mortal for centuries, she wouldn't risk a mechanic finding anything out of the ordinary under the hood. She also hoped they would have enough gas to get back. The night before Aletheia had gotten a full tank. Apollo tended to go over the speed limit, using more gas then was needed.

They drove in silence for about twenty miles, when there was a loud pop. The car swerved on the road, losing traction. Apollo slammed on the breaks, which you weren't supposed to do, which sent the car spinning.

"EASE OFF THE BRAKES!" Isra shouted at the teenager, who quickly did a she asked. "GRIP THE STEERING WHEEL AND SLOWLY BRING US TO THE SAFETY LANE, BY GRADUALLY LESSENING UP ON THE GAS!"

They managed to stop the spinning and get off into the safety lane. Luckily there were no cars coming down the highway so they could exam the tires. After turning on the car's hazard lights and using the parking break, they went to inspect the damage.

The right back tire was completely flat. Isra let out a sigh of exasperation. "Please tell me you can change a flat tire?"

"No, my chariot never needs its wheel's changed. I take it you don't know how to change a tire?"

"Oh, I know how. My mom taught me in case of an emergency. It's just easier to change one with some help," Isra explained. She unlocked the trunk and pulled out a fully inflated tire, lug wrench and a jack. "There should be wheel wedges in the glove box. Take them out and place them in front of the front wheels."

While Apollo did that, Isra knelt down and started using the lug wrench to remove the hubcap. Brianna noticed the car on the side of the road and flew down to see what the problem was. _"Princess Isra, what is the matter? Is something wrong with the car?"_

Isra nodded and explained the problem as she managed to loosen one lug nut. The griffin took a look at the lug nuts, calculating something. Nudging Isra aside, Brianna loosened the other lug nuts with her beak.

The mortal god helped get the jack in place and raised the car high enough for tire to be changed. Removing the lug nuts completely, Isra gently pulled off the flat tire, barely struggling with it.

Apollo helped her place the new tire on the car. Then Brianna slowly tightened the lug nuts partway. They partially lowered the car and finished tightening the lug nuts as far as they would go. Then they completely lowered it to the ground.

All that was left to do was replace the hubcap and store the supplies back in the trunk. Checking the tire pressure Isra announced there was enough pressure to get them back to Indianapolis as long as they didn't speed.

"We can't go slowly!" Apollo protested. He pointed to the back seat where Meg was twitching about and starting to unconsciously scratch her arms and losing a little bit of blood. "She needs the Throne of Memory right away!"

"We don't have a choice," the Persian girl insisted. "Spare tires are not meant to last very long distances. If we go to fast, the tire will give out and we don't have another spare. Besides, Brianna can't carry all three of us back."

Brianna nodded and showed her injured wing. She was losing more feathers, affecting her ability to fly. Carrying a passenger all the way back would make her loose more feathers faster, until she was grounded and vulnerable.

The city was still fifty two miles away. If they drove carefully and didn't run into any problems, they could make it back in about an hour and ten minutes. It wasn't ideal and it would take even longer if the griffin had to catch a ride on the roof of the car, but there was no other options. They had to have faith in their friends and family to keep Commodus out of the Waystation.

* * *

Neither one spoke to each other as they carefully drove back, besides the occasional update on how Meg was doing. Her whimpering had lessened slightly. The real problem was her skin was starting to lose color and she was starting to get a fever. She was attempting to scratch her leggings off, forcing Isra to improvise with the seatbelts to restrain her.

Maybe if I give her some ambrosia, her strength will return. She'll need it. Reaching into her pack, Isra found the small container of ambrosia she had packed earlier as emergency food. Breaking off a tiny piece, she shook Meg.

"Peaches, I need you. Ah!" Meg's eyes burst open. They weren't focused at all. "Get off me! Get off me you monster!" The twelve year old started pushing Isra and threw a punch that barely missed the girl's face.

"Meg, stop it! You need to eat this." By some miracle, the food got in Meg's mouth. It was disgusting to watch as Meg chewed her food with her mouth wide open. At last, she finished the piece of food. Her color had returned a little bit.

Before her eyes fluttered shut again, they had regained their focus. Meg slumped back down and returned to her unconscious state. Hopefully the ambrosia had bought her another hour until Meg's mind came completely undone.

There was a light thump on the roof of the car. Brianna's injured wing must have given out. "I wonder what the Mist will disguise her as?" she muttered to herself. She leaned back into the seat and found her bottle of water she had packed. Isra gulped down the cool, refreshing, liquid. Her throat started feeling better. After taking a few deep breaths, she tapped the driver's headrest. "Do you want any water?"

The teenage boy held his hand out and received the water bottle. Without taking his eyes off the road, he drank down the remaining water. His own coloring started to look better. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he sped up just a tiny bit.

Eventually, the car made it back to the city. Surprisingly, it was only about nine thirty in the morning. Seemed much longer to the occupants. "Park the car in a public lot near the Waystation. Meg should be relatively safe until we come back."

* * *

Apollo, Isra, and Brianna, ran towards the Waystation. There were the first responders calming down the horde. They were using the excuse there was a gas leak so Commodus's forces could attack unseen.

With no way to bypass the horde and the responders, the trio backtracked a few blocks to the secret entrance the Waystation had made for Isra to get to school unseen. The secret door was damaged, so instead of entering the building, they came outside in the front where a battle was taking place.

They were surprised by a male demigod of the House of Imperial Rome, charging at them. Apollo hit him with his combat ukulele knocking him out.

All around them battles were going on. On the roundabout stating on the fountain, was Jaime, battling a bunch of Cyclops. He moved like a true African warrior using a weapon, which resembled a double wide hockey stick. When he swung it, lighting came out of it, surprising the monsters.

The other Waystation defenders were starting to get the upper hand. Hunter Kowalski leaped from foe to foe, shooting down blemmyae, wolf headed warriors, and wild centaurs with ease. She had the uncanny ability to fire on the move, avoid counterstrikes and target her victims' kneecaps. Apollo looked impressed by her.

Several bulldozers had been destroyed, but not before they had knocked down parts of the building. Large amounts of ashes showed Festus had taken down the blemmyae. Leo's surprise defenses had also taken down scores of soldiers.

In the sky, about ten griffins soared. Some of them were attacking aerial drones while others fought monsters. On the ground in front of the entrance lay a dead griffin with gunshot wounds. Also littering the ground were a dozen mercenary bodies, who had been torn to pieces.

Near the hotel mail box, the dracaena Sssssarah was resting. Judging by the size of her belly and the dropped weapons near her, it appeared she had swallowed the Germani soldiers who had attacked her, whole. Behind her lay a clear path of destruction to the Waystation's main room.

The trio charged inside, trying their best to ignore the smell of death as they raced through the building. Everywhere you looked, the walls had holes in them. Smoke filled certain hallways, injured Hunters were being tended to, as the Waystation struggled to repair itself.

"This is true madness! How can anyone derive pleasure from this?" Isra shouted, stumbling over a dead body. It took all her willpower to keep from throwing up. Ignoring the blood stains on her clothes, she got back up. I need to get to Mom and make sure she's okay was Isra's only thought.

The group burst into the library and stopped. There laying on the large reading table, lay the body of Heloise. Her left wing was folded across her body like a shroud. Her head was bent in an unnatural angle.

The floor was covered in broken weapons, dented armor, and the remains of monsters. The contents of the room were strewn about, some of it still burning. Pipes had been exposed as water started to leak into the room.

"Oh Heloise, you gave your life destroying the hordes to protect your egg and us," Isra cried, her hands trembling as she stroked her friend's fur one last time.

Brianna rubbed her head against Heloise's and crooned softly. _"Rest now Heloise. You have done your sacred duty. You will be honored for your sacrifice. Your chick will know of your bravery, and be protected by the pack."_ It was a traditional prayer that griffins said after losing a member of their pack, especially in battle.

Apollo payed his respects by kissing Heloise's beak. "There will be time to grieve later. We must continue on. The only way to stop this is to find Commodus."

The trio took another flight of stairs before storming into the main hall, taking in the eerily calm. Smoke billowed out hole in the roof, billowing from the griffin's loft where a bulldozer chassis, was, inexplicably, lodged nose down. Abelard wasn't in sight.

In Josephine's workshop sofas were overturned. Sharp blade cuts littered the workstation and the nearby walls. There were broken kitchen appliances had bullet holes in them. Some of the tools were sparking. It was heartbreaking.

In the main dining area was the real trouble, a standoff between the good and bad guys. On the end closest to them, Thalia had her bow drawn, while Lit brandished his sword. Calypso had her hands out, ready to cast a spell. Josephine had her gun Big Bertha aimed at the enemy. Aletheia was holding a flask of water from the Well of Truth, ready to splash the enemy with it.

On the other end was Commodus, smiling in pleasure despite a bleeding diagonal cut across his face. Imperial gold armor gleamed over his purple tunic. He held his blade, a gold spatha, casually at his.

On either side of him stood a Germanus bodyguard. The barbarian on the right had his arm clamped around Emmi's neck, his other hand pressing a pistol crossbow against her head. Georgina stood with her mother, who was hugging her tightly against her chest. The little girl was terrified.

On his left, the other bodyguard held Leo in a similar position. Behind them in heavy duty nets, were a trapped Griff and Quieta. Griff's flank was bloody and there was black powder of his eyes. Quieta's hands were tied behind her back and her battle fan was broken in two. She was glaring at Commodus with hatred.

"Hello Lester! Hello chibi, oh and your brought me a new animal to sacrifice. Now, that you're here, the fun can really begin."

* * *

The tension produced by the standoff as Thalia's fingers clenched her bowstring. A bead of, silvery sweat, traced down her face. "Say the word and I will bore a hole between this moron emperor's eyes."

Josephine shifted her grip on Big Bertha. Her coveralls were splattered with goo, dust, and blood. Her eyes were on her wife and daughter. "It's going to be okay. Just stay calm."

Calypso had her hands out as if she was going to weave. Her eyes were fixed on Leo, tinged with tears. She shook her head slightly at the group and mouthed to her boyfriend, don't be an idiot.

Lityerses stood next to Aletheia. His leg wound had started to bleed again, soaking through the bandages. His hair and clothes were scorched as if he'd run through a gauntlet of flamethrowers.

Aletheia had a calm look in her eyes. By now Commodus had to know she was a goddess, or he just didn't think she was much of a threat being a personification goddess. Either way, she was calculating the best time to use her powers to annihilate him.

"Everyone, lower your weapons. You don't want to accidentally hurt our friends," Apollo commanded tersely. He kept his eyes on Commodus, clenching his fists angrily.

Commodus chuckled. "Yes, you should all listen to Lester! Calypso dear, if you try to summon those wind spirits again, I _will_ kill your little friend here."

Isra was impressed her new friend had been able to use such powerful magic in a short time. She drowned out Leo's protest that he wasn't small, something she sympathized with, whenever someone made fun of her height.

Commodus rolled his eyes at Leo, who would not shut up about having a plan to defeat them. Lifting two fingers, the emperor said, "Albatrix, if the demigod speaks again, you have my permission to shoot him."

Brianna screeched at Commodus. _"You leave my Princess friends alone or I'm going to rip your internal organs out!"_

 _"My love, don't provoke him! He's faster than you and much closer."_ Griff called out weakly. He was straining to get free, but was having no luck.

Commodus glared at the two griffins. "Sacrifices should be quiet and not interfere when I'm savoring my victory!" he snapped at the two. "Now, as we were discussing before Lester got here, I require the Throne of Memory. Where are you hiding it?"

Both Apollo and Isra were grateful the Waystation had managed to keep the throne hidden from the maniac. If he took it, Meg would most likely die of madness by the end of the day.

"Are you telling me," Apollo asked, "that your great army surrounded the Waystation, invaded it and couldn't even find a chair? Is this all that's left of your great army, your two bodyguards? What sort of emperor are you? Now your father, Marcus Aurelius, he was a great emperor."

While Commodus threw a temper tantrum about how much better he was then his father and despite his lost troops, he would still best them. While he was ranting and getting angrier, Isra spared a glance at her mom.

Aletheia tilted her head a fraction, so her line of sight was on her daughter's backpack. She returned her head to its original position, only for her eyes to land on her flask, then Apollo, before jerking her thumb at herself.

Instantly, Isra realized what her mom's plan was. Bravely, she stepped forward, moving in front of Apollo. The Germani bodyguards tightened their hold on the hostages, ready to kill them there and then, but Commodus held out his hand to stop them.

He looked the tiny teenager up and down, amusement on his face. "I can't believe I thought you were a daemon. Look at you! You're so small and pathetic I could kill you with my eyes closed!"

Isra didn't move or cower. "I am small, but I have a big heart. The griffins see me as their princess."

This made Commodus laugh even harder. He pointed his weapon at Griff and Brianna. "These dumb beasts, think you're a princess? That is the craziest thing I have ever heard of and believe me I know crazy! There is nothing special about you human! So what if you can summon a pack of griffins? All you've done has brought me more animals to slaughter at the naming ceremony, which I guess I owe you a thank you."

Isra's expression didn't change. She kept her eyes locked on to Commodous's. "Laugh at me if you want. Kill everyone here if you can. The truth won't be buried long. The answers you seek, will never be yours, if you destroy this place. Then again, if you can't even grasp who you truly are then it's no loss, unless you want to still best Apollo."

Isra studied her fingernails and changed her posture so she was looking the other way. As she predicted, Commodus lost his temper and threw his backup knife at her. Because she was so short, she ducked and her mom caught the weapon in her bare hands.

"Thank you for the offering Emperor Commodus. You have privilege of drinking from my sacred symbol." The goddess tossed the flask hard and Commodus caught it one handed.

Apollo was sure Commodus would toss it aside and attack them, but he didn't. Since Commodus hated him so much he was determined to best Apollo in every situation, including discovering the truth. "Can I be defeated by Lester Papadopoulos?" he asked in a mocking tone.

He gulped down the whole flask, smirking as the answer to his question entered his mind. "I knew it. You can never defeat me Lester! You shall die here as I take the city for myself."

Apollo saw Isra wink at him and so did his cousin. As if a music chord had popped into his mind, he knew what his cousin's plan was. Isra stepped backwards as Aletheia stood by the mortal god's side.

"The answer to your question is correct. You can't be defeated by _Lester_. However, you never asked if _Apollo_ could defeat you, with the help of a partner. Everyone, close your eyes. My little rainbow, are you ready?"

Isra held the Mirror of Truth straight out in front of her. Her stance wide with a solid grip. All her friends' eyes were shut tightly. Closing her own, she called out, "I'm ready."

"Then it's time to reveal our true selves." Both Apollo and Aletheia unleashed their true forms, beings of pure light. The Mirror of Truth reflected the light all over, passing throughout the Waystation. The screams of Commodus and his troops echoed everywhere.

The god and goddess returned to normal form after a second. Apollo looked like a slightly overcooked gingerbread man and Aletheia had a dazed look in her eyes and her clothes had lost their color. It had been a very long time since she had revealed her true form to anybody.

Their goal had been accomplished. Commodus troops were all gone and the emperor himself was now blind screaming, "MY EYES!" Knowing it was safe now to look, everyone opened their eyes seeing the bleached out room and their own clothes.

"Whoa, you two did it," Thalia commented, as she looked around the room. "You destroyed his forces."

"I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED! I WILL KILL YOU ALL AND CLAIM THIS CITY AS MINE!" Commodus charged forward, even blind he was a threat to them.

He slashed his spatha only to be intercept by Lityerses own. The two of them clashed over and over as the Cornhusker led the emperor towards the large stain glass window in the room.

Once in position, Lityerses taunted Commodus. "Your reign over this city is over! You will leave and never come back! Go now or be killed!"

"You can't kill me, I'm immortal!" Commodus rushed forward, eager to kill Lityerses, who merely side stepped out of the way. The emperor's momentum sent him sailing through the window and falling to the ground.

* * *

Everyone rushed over to the broken window and stared at ground. The glass below had formed an outline of a human male, but Commodus's body was not there.

"Where did he go?" Calypso questioned.

"Probably far away from here. We should check oh what is going on over there?" Thalia interrupted herself pointing to something being carried towards the Waystation.

"It's Meg! Her karpoi and friends are bringing her here!" Leo shouted.

"Quickly, get the Throne of Memory!" Emmie commanded. While the others ran off to get the throne, Brianna freed her mate and Quieta. They both had minor injuries, but nothing life threatening.

Isra rushed over to her friend and asked her if she was alright. Quieta nodded her head. She leaned on her friend to help her stand. They hobbled over to the dining area, where Leo, Calypso, Thalia, and Josephine carried in the Throne of Memory.

Settling Quieta on to the only upright chair, the girl got out her notepad, ready to copy down the prophecy. Apollo took Meg from the karpoi as soon as they entered the room.

He placed her on the Throne of Memory. "Stay with me Meg," Apollo pleaded. "You're on the Throne of Memory. Speak your prophecy!"

Meg lurched upright. Her hands gripped the side arms of the chair, as if strong electrical current flowed through them. Everyone backed away as black smoke poured out of the tween's mouth and encircled her. In a dull monotone voice she spoke her prophecy.

 _The words that memory wrought are set to fire, Ere new moon rises o'er the Devil's Mount. The changeling lord shall face a challenge dire, Till bodies fill the Tiber beyond count._

 _Yet southward must the sun now trace its course, Through mazes dark to lands of scorching death. To find the master of the swift white horse, And wrest from him the crossword speaker's breath._

 _To the westward palace must the Lester go; Demeter's daughter finds her ancient roots. The cloven guide alone the way does know, To walk the path in thine own enemy's boots._

 _When three are known and Tiber reached alive, 'Tis only then Apollo starts to jive._

The smoke vanished and Meg slumped down in chair, snoring in her sleep. Everyone looked at Apollo, wondering why the prophecy had been so long.

"Was that three prophecies for one?" Leo asked.

"No. Only prophecies with several moving parts are said in a Shakespearian Sonnet. Like a limerick, a prophecy in this form means danger, more danger than you would normally face."

Everyone looked stricken hearing that. What could a prophecy such as that mean and was the danger only going to be faced by Meg and Apollo, or did it include them as well? Apollo glanced at Isra as he just recalled something.

"Isra, after you purified Trophonius, he gave you a prophecy, and stored it in the Mirror of Truth. Do you think you can get it out?"

"I don't know, I'm exhausted and I haven't regained my full strength," Isra admitted looking down at the floor, trying to get some air into her.

Aletheia embraced her daughter, her own hands placed on top of Isra's. "We can do it together. Hold out the mirror and picture the words of the prophecy appearing in the glass."

Together, mother and daughter, gave their energy to the Mirror of Truth. It hummed lightly. A gentle warmth spread throughout the teenager's body. A holographic projection appeared in the air. They saw hands clasped together for saying grace, a small wooden flute, and a spear like weapon forming a triangle in the air.

Beneath the images was a prophecy. It was backwards of course because of the mirror. Aletheia read it out loud, use to deciphering backwards messages.

 _From the land the Romans could not take,_

 _A hound and hero will awake._

 _On the bridge of ocean waves,_

 _One person's life may be saved._

 _If the lovers end their strife,_

 _Then they can move on together in their new life._

"Forgive me for saying this, but that prophecy doesn't seem to be about you Isra."

"I don't think it is either. Those symbols that make up the triangle, I think the prophecy is referring to them, but was given to me, because they are not here now."

"Well I can tell you girl, who two of the people are," Leo responded to Isra. "Hands folded in position for Grace and tiny flute? No doubt about it, my peeps Jason Grace and Piper McLean, are two of the three involved. Don't know who the third could be."

Emmie cleared her throat drawing attention to herself. "We can discuss the prophecies further, after we clean up and hold Heloise's funeral."

* * *

The rest of the afternoon proceeded in a hazy manner. Meg and Apollo were given bubble baths to clean them up and then sent to bed to rest for a few hours. The ex-Hunters suggested Isra also do the same, but she declined to rest.

When she came back from her bath, the Waystation was beginning to fix itself, and everyone was doing their part to clean up the clutter, and prepare the departed bodies for a mass funeral. Her mom was using her general powers to help move the heavy rubble. Isra joined in to help her.

Griff's vision was still a little blurry from the gunpowder used so close to his face. His full eyes sight wouldn't return for a couple of days. His pack had lost five members during the battle and many of them were suffering from broken bones, deep gashes, or in one case, not having a tail anymore. They had already performed a small ceremony for pack members who died.

Abelard agreed to let the pack stay at the Waystation until they healed. Truth of the matter, he didn't want to be alone. The loss of Heloise was hitting him hard and he needed emotional support to get him through this. All he had left of his beautiful mate, was their egg, which had safely survived the battle.

Leo and Lityerses had become close friends due to fighting together during the battle. They were exchanging jokes and bouncing ideas of how to improve the Waystation as they searched for Festus's missing parts.

Calypso worked with Josephine to repair the stain glass window. The former Titaness had to sit down afterwards, the magic draining her energy almost completely. She decided to help by telling Georgina stories to entertain her.

Thalia, Sssssarah, Jaime, and Quieta, did several perimeter checks to make sure Commodus's forces were gone for good. They also searched for the mad emperor, but found no traces of him.

At twilight only Abelard's closest friends and Griff and Brianna were allowed to attend Heloise's funeral. A big crowd would have overwhelmed him, but he didn't want to do the ceremony, by himself.

Apollo carried Heloise's body to a fallow body of soil and stepped back, letting the griffins do their thing.

Working together, the trio of griffins slowly covered Heloise's body with feathers and tree branches until only her face was exposed. Abelard nuzzled his face against hers one last time.

" _You were my whole life Heloise. I will make sure our chick knows of your bravery and love. I will remember you always."_ Abelard started to back away, the stopped. Her turned his head and looked at Isra and his eyes softened slightly. _"Do you have final words for Heloise? If you do, please come forward. I know Heloise would love to hear them."_

Cautiously, Isra walked forward, her steps heavy. Her eyes were full of tears as she knelt down next to Heloise's body. She kissed the female griffin's head and stroked it one last time. "Heloise, I will never forget you. You were my first friend here and without you, I would never have awaken my dormant power. I promise to watch over your chick as long as I live."

Rising up, she and the griffins placed their hand/paws on the covered body. With a final shrieking cry, they watched as Heloise's body dissolved into the soil. Her body would nourish anything planted and help it grow strong. In the wild, this would help new trees to grow, so more prey would come into the area.

Abelard took off into the sky. He needed some time to mourn by himself before he was ready to start his life without his mate. He trusted that Griff's pack to take care of his egg until he returned.

* * *

An hour later dinner was ready to be served. Everyone was subdued after the mass burial of the human corpses. The adult bodies had been incinerated in the furnace room, but they had taken the kids bodies who had died to an out of the way graveyard and buried them in huge empty plot. They would come back later and leave a headstone to mark their passing, (not to mention to avoid trouble if the bodies were ever unearthed,) so they wouldn't be forgotten.

Conversations were going on very quietly. The Hunters and Lityerses were talking about different strategies to use while fighting. The rescued demigods discussed their plans if they wanted to stay or go. Sssssarah was listening with enthralled attention as Jaime told stories about the snakes he encountered back home.

At the main dining table, Georgina had fallen asleep, her head resting on her coloring books. Emmie looked at her fondly, a happy smile on her face. Thalia sat opposite of Emmie, twirling her dagger absentmindedly. Josephine and Calypso sat side by side going over the prophecies.

Leo was multitasking, eating his dinner and making remarks about what his thoughts were on the prophecies. Aletheia, Isra, and Quieta ate their dinners quietly, waiting for the discussion to begin.

Meanwhile, Apollo was trying not to look grossed out by watching Meg eat voraciously. Meg's appetite had doubled after her experience with the Dark Oracle. She was packing on the calories and didn't look like she'd be done for a little bit.

"Okay." Calypso let out a deep sigh. "We've interpreted some lines, but we need your help Apollo. What happened in the Cave of Trophonius?"

"I'm not the best one to explain what happened." He looked at Isra and kindly asked, "Do you want to tell them what happened?"

Surprised and pleased, Isra explained the journey to the Cave and the dangers once they entered it. She described in great detail what happened to Meg and how she had used the Mirror of Truth, to make Trophonius stop his attack before she managed to purify him. She laughed a little when she came to the part about how they escaped.

"Well done my little rainbow. I'm very proud of how you acted and that you managed to use the Mirror of Truth to its fullest extent." Aletheia kissed her daughter's head and then hugged her tightly.

Josephine looked at Georgina and Emmie. Both had mixed expressions on their faces. Since the battle no one had seen Agamethus. With Trophonius purified and his oracle moved, no one doubted in their minds that Agamethus followed his brother to keep him company.

"I'm glad the Oracle is gone. Still, Agamethus and Georgina had a special relationship. I hope she can understand why he left."

"In time I'm sure she'll understand. I do not wish any further harm to your daughter. With the Cave moved, she'll never be tempted to seek out the oracle again," Apollo assured them.

The ex-Hunters seemed satisfied with the information. As long as their daughter was safe and sound, not much else mattered right now.

"Back to first prophecy, let's discuss the first stanza. Thalia, do you believe the mention of the moon indicates a time limit?"

Thalia nodded. "The different phases of the moon effect magic and gods differently. A new moon is an auspicious time for evil."

Emmie looked down at the line about bodies filling up the Tiber. "I believe this line is about Camp Jupiter and the Roman demigods will soon be attacked."

Leo frowned. "Yeah, the changeling lord…that's got to be about my homeboy Frank Zhang. Devil's Mount is an obvious reference to Mount Diablo. I hate Mount Diablo. I had to fight Enchiladas there once."

Aletheia studied the next sentence. " _The words memory wrought._ The Cuemaen Sybil's books of prophecies. It's been a long while, but I heard from a friend they found someone with an edict memory, who was reconstructing them. A harpy correct?"

Apollo confirmed what she said. Ella the harpy was the only hope for the full reconstruction of the books. It they were burnt or she was killed, they would lose those prophecies forever. In turn, making the emperors much stronger.

"How do we warn Camp Jupiter of an impending invasion, if all forms of communications are blocked?" Calypso asked.

Quieta tapped her pencil, drawing everyone's attention. She wrote furiously before turning her notepad around.

" _Are you absolutely sure every form of communication is blocked? I understand we can't use electronic communications and mail isn't going to get to a place with no address. Still, there are many forms of communication, several that haven't been used in years. Would one of them work conceivably?"_

Apollo thought about it for a few seconds. "I know the Champions of Hera at Camp Half Blood, managed to send and receive messages from a carrier pigeon. I was very stunned by this since the Romans were the first ones to start using birds to send messages."

 _It is a very old form of communication and hasn't been used widespread since the WWII. They could have forgotten about it. Do you have a beacon to reach the next closest demigod building?_

"The Waystation has an old communication room. There's a high level crossbow. It can launch an arrow which travels several hundred miles until it lights a beacon in Iowa. There's a small semi permanent camp for the Hunters to stay at for a various reasons," Emmie informed Quieta.

 _Then use the network of beacons to send a message to the Roman demigods. For backup, perhaps Leo could fly out there to ensure a message gets through._

Calypso did not look pleased. Her complexion turned just a shade lighter than the pad of paper. Leo gulped and told her he would enroll late at school, but he would come back and there would be no more questing.

"So we got one stanza down. Yippee. What about the rest of the prophecy?" Thalia asked.

Meg stopped eating and spoke up. "The next stanza sounds to me we have to pass through the Labyrinth to American Southwest. Cool, I get to summon a satyr. I've always wanted to try that!"

"Then the next oracle is no doubt the Erythraean Sybil. I read she gives prophecies in the form of word puzzles. Hope your smart enough to figure them out," Isra imparted to the master and slave team.

As she read the next line, something tickled in the back of head. Hadn't her history teacher talked about how each Roman emperor was remembered by a title? "I'll be right back!"

She rushed to her bedroom and found her history book lying on her desk. She flipped through the pages until she came to the one she was looking for. Skimming the paragraph, she shut the book with a loud thud.

She raced back to the dining table, gasping for breath. She was full of excitement as she placed the book on the table and flipped it to the right page. She tapped a photo of a bust of who she thought was the third emperor.

Looking at the picture, the whole table froze in fear. The emperor she found was the most monstrous one of the Julian Dynasty. He made Nero and Commodus seem like toddlers fighting over toys when compared to him.

"Are you absolutely sure this is who the prophecy is referring to?" Apollo probed in a tight voice.

"My daughter has found the truth, I can sense it. Right now, we shouldn't risk saying anything more about him, less we want to alert him that we've figured out his identity. It seems only after you face him, you might have the power to stop them."

The mortal god said nothing. Just slumped down in his seat, turning white as a sheet. Meg formed a fist to punch him, but stopped. She went back to eating her dinner at a slower pace.

Whispering quietly to one another, they tried to decipher the second prophecy. While they knew who it was for, none of them could figure out who was the third person in the prophecy was or what a hound had to do with it. That one would have to wait until Apollo and Meg reached Jason and Piper.

* * *

Later, Isra was getting ready for bed exhausted by today's efforts. Her mom was going to let her stay home for the rest of the week, to recover from exhaustion and overuse of the Mirror of Truth.

The same went for Quieta, whose parents would be returning Sunday and be informed about all the events which happened this week. Calypso was going shopping on the weekend for school supplies and would join the girls on Monday.

"After the last three days, it will be nice to return to a semi-normal life. Yawn, I'm really exhausted." She started to climb into bed, but paused. She had the feeling someone was watching her.

Turning around she jumped in the air, surprised to find Agamethus hovering behind her. "You scared me! What are you doing here? I thought you left to be with your brother?"

The ghost shook the Magic Eight ball hard before placing it in Isra's hands.

 _I came to thank you. My brother is at peace. In time, his new cave, the Spooky Cave in McGregor Iowa, could absorb his prophetic gift and we can finally rest in the Underworld._

Isra giggled, the new cave system was the most appropriated place for the Cave of Trophonius to resettle in. No doubt it would eventually absorb the prophetic gift freeing both brothers.

"I'm glad I could help you both. I never imagined when I first learned we were moving here, the adventures I would have or find out my amazing ancestry history. Thank you as well, for helping me adjust to this life."

Agamethus bowed to her. He pointed to the Magic Eight ball and wrote the letter G in the air. It was palpable he wanted Georgina to have it to remember him by.

"I promise to give it to her. Do you want to say goodbye to anyone else?"

His upper body shook indicating no. He looked as if he wanted to be solid just for a few seconds to hug her goodbye, but he couldn't. Instead he gave her an air hug which she returned.

"Have a safe journey Agamethus. Best wishes to you and your brother. I don't think anyone here will ever forget you."

Agamethus flashed orange a few times, then dissolved into particles of light. They flew out her window and headed in the direction of Iowa. With luck, he would reach Iowa in a day.

The next morning Isra gave Georgina Agamethus's gift to her. The little girl cried a bit knowing her friend was gone. Wiping her tears away she spoke, "He may be gone, but at least I still have you big sister!"

"Yes, you do Georgina. You have a whole family here who loves you." The seven year old smiled happily, then returned her attention to her breakfast.

As they ate, Aletheia was having one last conversation with her cousin before he departed. "I hope you understand now, the reasons for my actions towards you."

"I do cousin and I admire your tenacity. It isn't often someone is willing to challenge me and force me to face the truth and change." He stuffed a piece of pancake in his mouth, chewed, then swallowed. "I hope you and your daughter have a wonderful life here."

"Of course we will. I've decided to bequest Britomartis if the Waystation can become a meeting point for my fellow D-list friends. A chance for us personification spirits to gather to hang out or catch up on one another.

Naturally, the mortal god shuddered at the thought of running into Britomartis again. He cautioned his cousin to be careful and watch out for traps. She promised to do so.

All too soon, it was time for Apollo and Meg to leave. Isra's shook Meg's hand. "I hope you stay safe Meg. Don't forget you have friends here if you want to visit."

"Thanks, I will. It was nice to meet you Isra. I'm never going to underestimate a normal person again."

She then shook Apollo's hand. "Remember what you have experienced here. If you do regain your godhood, your memories of this time will help you become a better person."

"I'll remember, especially about you. A normal human girl, who managed to accomplish so much, because she believed she could."

Isra watched as the two headed to the roof to summon a satyr. Ten minutes later the Waystation informed the residents the duo had left the area. Squeezing her mom's hand tightly, they both returned to the table to continue living their life in happiness.


End file.
